Although Captain Yu Lian only asked for one squad, since it was the Central Special Envoy who said it, how could Brigadier General Luben and Colonel Sahe dare to be negligent?
They had entertained other special envoys before.
If someone said the reception standard should follow the Commonwealth Commission for Clean Government's requirement of four dishes and one soup, would you really just serve four dishes and one soup? If each plate wasn't almost as big as the table and divided into eight sections, how could it be presented properly?
If someone said they wanted to try some seafood, would you really just get some shrimp or fish? At least it had to be abalone, and the kind that could facilitate a deep connection. Otherwise, they would definitely feel you were looking down on him! If you couldn't use the depths of the New Seville Sea to fathom the Central Special Envoy's true nature, how could you truly connect?
And so, when Yu Lian was ready to depart, a company had assembled before him.
Each soldier was equipped with AS56 Dragoon power armor, supplemented by three Challenger 3 light tanks, two Raptor 4 all-terrain fire platforms, four Black Panther 3 armored personnel carriers, and four Winged Hussar armed airships, truly armed to the teeth.
“So that's why it took an hour?” Captain Yu Lian asked with a smile.
Colonel Sahe felt like he had misjudged the situation, but he still forced a smile and said, “They are all the best young men.”
“I am very grateful for your kindness, but when I say one squad, I mean one squad.” Captain Yu Lian scanned the Marine Corps soldiers assembled before him.
Judging solely by their physique and aura, they were indeed warriors who had undergone long-term military training and seen blood, and could certainly be described as “elite soldiers.”
However, in areas beyond “professional competence,” they were merely passable, neither silent and solemn nor highly motivated.
They were just the standard line among so-called “professional soldiers.”
Captain Yu Lian quickly selected the most appealing squad from the ranks.
It wasn't that they had the strongest combat power; it was simply because they looked the most spirited.
“Also, please get me a set of armor,” he added.
Colonel Sahe didn't think much of it and immediately ordered his subordinates to do so, but only after giving the order did he realize something was off.
At this moment, Brigadier General Luben had already recovered from his shock and quickly advised, “Captain, you… I think, as a Moon People, you should be in Command HQ, using your Wisdom and expertise to help us! Not acting as an assault leader.”
Brigadier General Luben was sincerely trying to dissuade him.
If the Central Special Envoy truly died on the battlefield, he would also suffer.
Even if a hundred people proved that the Central Special Envoy went to his death on his own, the big figures above were not judges; if they said it was your responsibility, then it was your responsibility, whether it was or not.
“You are the highest Commander here, having presided over military affairs for more than a decade, familiar with every blade of grass and tree.
I am merely an outsider; how could I casually interfere? I said that you and Colonel Sahe are fully responsible for all military affairs, and I will not ask another question,” Captain Yu Lian said with a smile.
“However, as a spiritual energy user, facing such a situation, I should indeed contribute my strength.”
“Then…”
“The most troublesome thing about mysticism is that it cannot be estimated by objective natural laws, nor can it be analyzed by instruments.
If I don't investigate closely and just hide away making wild guesses, that would be truly irresponsible.”
Although Captain Yu Lian was very polite, his attitude was firm, essentially no different from “Shut up, mortal! This is where the extraordinary discuss mysticism!”
The Commander and Deputy Commander of the General Headquarters were immediately speechless.
“Don't worry.
I'm just investigating the surroundings; I won't go inside.
Bringing people and armor is just for caution,” Captain Yu Lian added.
With words spoken to this extent, what else could Brigadier General Luben and Colonel Sahe say?
Colonel Sahe could only dismiss the newly assembled troops and send various vehicles and heavy equipment back to storage.
He was still a bit uneasy, so he had the remaining squad bring two small fire robots imported from the Alliance.
These so-called robots actually looked like long-legged crabs, about the size of a three-wheeled motorcycle.
They could switch between wheeled and eight-legged forms when moving, and on the crab-like disc body, two Vulcan cannons and a small-“caliber” phase-wave cannon were installed.
Captain Yu Lian saw it but did not stop them this time.
This interruption caused another delay of more than ten minutes.
However, at this moment, Captain Yu Lian showed ample patience, maintaining a steady and composed smile throughout.
The wait was not in vain; a brand new AS56 modified Captain's power armor was once again delivered to Captain Yu Lian.
This was the second time he had worn this power exoskeleton, which would be highly regarded in future military product collections.
And from its condition, it could be basically confirmed to be new, barely used beyond basic testing.
What gave Captain Yu Lian a slight headache was that Feifei also came over wearing a power exoskeleton.
However, she was wearing a medic's special armor.
“Feifei, why are you here…?”
“I got an A- in power armor piloting, though it was my worst subject, but I shouldn't hold you back.”
“No, I mean why are you wearing this?”
“I also got an A in battlefield first aid,” she added.
Captain Yu Lian rubbed his forehead, feeling like he had countless complaints but didn't know where to start.
“I know what you want to say, Yu'er.
But, when did you ever think I was a weak woman who could only hide in a safe place, trembling and tearfully praying for her beloved going to war, and do nothing else?”
It's precisely because I know you're not such a weak woman that I don't know what to say! Captain Yu Lian thought.
“For mystical investigations, the more hands the better, naturally.
I'm also a spiritual energy user, remember?” Feifei added.
“Besides, I think, in terms of theoretical knowledge of mysticism, Yu'er must be inferior to me!”
Heh heh~~ Captain Yu Lian sneered disdainfully in his heart.
Of course, at a time like this, one couldn't argue with a Miss; even with his emotional intelligence, he knew this much.
He couldn't find a reason to stop Feifei, so he could only say, “Then, once we enter the virtual ring, everything must be obeyed.
Understood, Feifei… Lieutenant Li.”
“Understood, Captain Yu Lian!” Feifei stood at attention and saluted.
“Then, let's go,” Captain Yu Lian said to everyone.
“Oh~~~~” The Marine Corps soldiers responded in a practiced manner.
“I can't hear you, no energy.
Do you even deserve to call yourselves Marine Corps soldiers like this?” Feifei's face held a cold sneer as she mocked them in a flat tone.
“Oh!” The Marine Corps soldiers responded with passionate, full-bodied voices.
Captain Yu Lian could feel that, in that instant, Feifei had used a bit of mind-control ability.
...This girl only awakened a month ago, right? This is too fast! Could she be the legendary super genius? But I don't seem surprised at all!
Having a reliable comrade is a very happy thing! And having this reliable comrade be his childhood Miss is an even happier thing!
Thinking of this, Captain Yu Lian also said to everyone with considerable enthusiasm, “Very good, very spirited! This is more like the spirit of a Commonwealth soldier! Let's go!”
This squad thus strode with an arrogant gait, directly passing through the sky-obscuring light curtain.
The soldiers remaining in the base watched their backs disappear into the light curtain and the Sero Great Forest, which had caused them countless losses.
For a moment, they didn't know whether they were pitying a group of fools or seeing off a group of heroes.
“At least we can confirm that… uh, the illusion, can be physically penetrated directly,” Brigadier General Luben said to Colonel Sahe.
“Should we send some people to follow and provide support?” Colonel Sahe asked.
Luben thought for a moment and felt that the death of two “Moon People” here was already a major incident, let alone the death of a Central Special Envoy and a military reporter.
He truly couldn't bear this responsibility; compared to that, the death of a few more ordinary soldiers was really nothing, so he once again issued the order to advance.
Colonel Sahe was also prepared and immediately sent out the company that had already made preparations for departure.
“Just maintain a certain distance from Captain Yu Lian.
Of course, if he is in danger, you know what to do!”
The company Commander nodded with a bitter expression, setting off with a tragic sense of “the wind sighs, the water is cold.”
However, as soon as he entered the virtual ring, he sent a message saying that Captain Yu Lian and his party were no longer traceable.
In addition, communications were also affected to some extent.
They were only a few hundred meters from the base, but there were already intermittent signals and delays.
It was estimated that the deeper they went, the more they would lose contact with the outside world.
When Brigadier General Luben heard this news, it was all he could do to keep himself from fainting.
Of course, as a seasoned veteran who had seen much, he had already begun to consider how to write the MIA report for the Central Special Envoy and the Miss reporter.
How should he write it to minimize his own responsibility? He definitely needed to think it through carefully.
Colonel Sahe sighed deeply, "I regret it. If I had known, I would have brought the militia with me."
"...They are not soldiers. Deployment requires communication with the city government and payment of deployment fees," Brigadier General Luben said coldly.
"Are you short on that money?" Sahe glared at him. "If I had brought the militia, when the Central Special Envoy wanted to court death, I wouldn't have had to sacrifice the lives of our young men!"
Brigadier General Luben felt that this fellow must be going crazy. Otherwise, why would he try to establish a persona of loving his soldiers like his own sons and valuing camaraderie at this moment? Who was he trying to impress?
At this very moment, in New Seville's largest Emerald Harbor, a thousand carefully selected, fully armed militiamen had completed their assembly and were waiting in the small square outside the port.
They certainly didn't know they were regarded as cannon fodder by Colonel Sahe of the Marine Corps, or even if they did, they wouldn't care. Their spirits were currently quite high.
Their equipment was also quite good, at least well-organized. Almost all soldiers had uniform C10 automatic rifles and bulletproof, stab-proof armor. One-tenth of them possessed AS40 external power exoskeletons and were equipped with armored vehicles and various types of medium and small cannons. Purely in terms of equipment quality, these thousand militiamen were no longer inferior to a standard guard unit.
However, the militia, in the final analysis, could not be considered an army. They did not receive military pay from the Earth Central Government, were not issued military ranks by the Defense Committee, and did not have military registration. They were also not full-time professional soldiers who trained; their annual military training time would not exceed three months.
Of course, the enemies they had to deal with were also very singular: pirates and fugitives who "climbed over the wall" from the Far Shore Nebula, large local sea beasts, and those indigenous fish monsters that were either primitive social animals or wild beasts... Uh, anyway, the Galactic Civilization Council did not include them as members of a Wisdom race, and they were fierce and truly impossible to communicate with, so let's just treat them as wild animals.
In short, after three months of military training, plus occasionally beating up trespassing fugitives and wild animals when something happened, the militiamen would receive an annual subsidy of 50,000 Blue Star Coins. For children from ordinary families, this was a very significant income.
With such a calculation, the combat effectiveness of the militia was imaginable. But in reality, these young militia soldiers had orderly formations, high spirits, and excellent morale. At least in terms of their mental state, they could definitely be considered the most outstanding force in this star system.
This was also understandable. Since ancient times, troops conscripted mainly from local people have had a bit of the flavor of local sons. As long as they fought near their hometowns, they would always maintain good morale and above-average military discipline, and with these two points, the basic conditions for a "strong army" were already met.
Colonel Lilia Alfonso, the temporary Commander of this temporarily assembled militia force, felt very satisfied.
Although she herself was not currently in Emerald Harbor, she could still feel everyone's neat formations and high morale through the holographic projection sent from her communication terminal.
If before, she had only wanted to find an excuse to give her "good comrade" some support, now she was truly beginning to consider the feasibility of establishing a unified orbital law enforcement force.
In addition, her "Colonel" was not a military rank recognized by the military, but merely a title granted by the City Government Joint Conference, used to determine the command hierarchy within the militia. "Colonel" was the highest position.
Anyway, Miss Lilia was of Spanish descent, and this was also their national tradition.
"When boarding, you will be responsible for the handover," Lilia told her deputy on the other side of the terminal. He was an older, retired mercenary, burly and capable; just by his appearance, he seemed very reliable.
"You can rest assured. But, on your end..."
"They're here," a beautiful woman standing behind Lilia reminded her. She looked to be in her early thirties, with a cold yet dashing demeanor.
Lilia looked up at the sky and soon saw two massive warships slowly revealing their majestic forms from behind the clouds.
Those were two Ranger-class cruisers with a long axis exceeding 500 meters and an overall mass of over 100,000 tons... Oh no, armed merchant ships. At least from the ground, they indeed looked as majestic as steel fortresses. However, Lilia knew that in space, they were merely small fry, not even ranking among light cruisers.
However, these two Ranger-class "armed merchant ships," specially fitted with sailor quarters and landing pods, could indeed hold all thousand of her soldiers.
After breaking through the atmosphere, the warships began to slow down and slowly sailed towards the harbor.
"Prepare to board," she instructed her deputy.
Lilia closed the communication and opened another channel, intending to greet Eleanor, who should still be in outer space orbit, but found that she couldn't connect to outer space communications at all.
This state lasted for nearly five minutes, until the two Ranger-class ships had already landed in the harbor, when Lilia finally connected to the fleet flagship in outer space orbit.
First to appear was Autumn Mountain Yawata, wearing glasses and expressionless. He pushed up his glasses and said in a flat, monotonous voice, "Sorry, there are too many new recruits in the fleet. There was a slight operational error just now."
Lilia pondered for a moment and then realized that the other party was probably trying to shield Lumina Planet's external communications but accidentally affected New Seville.
"...That's not right. Even if it was a mistake, this is too exaggerated. According to the current orbital revolution, there should be over two million kilometers between New Seville and Lumina!"
"Yes, that's precisely because there are too many new recruits. A new fleet, new ships, an unreasonably young officer corps, and new recruits, we hope the public can understand," Autumn Mountain Yawata said, pushing up his glasses, looking serious yet expressionless.
"Eleanor... Colonel Bonaparte?"
"Due to the error just now, she was punished by the Commander and decided to have the new recruits who made the operational error walk the plank. She is now personally overseeing the execution," Autumn Mountain Yawata said, still in a flat, monotonous voice.
Lilia nodded with an understanding expression, looking like a considerate, gentle, good girl.
"Understood... Having them walk the plank indeed represents your side's attitude. I will help you resolve any complaints arising here. However, Autumn Mountain, are you sure you have completed the communication shielding for Lumina? One hundred percent certain?"
"One hundred percent certain. If there's even a slight mishap, I'll commit seppuku!" Yawata said. His expression didn't show much fluctuation at this time, so Lilia tentatively took it as him swearing. She nodded and said to the person behind her, "Miss Pero, then let's get going too."
The lady behind Lilia nodded and stood up. With her movement, a dozen other men, also in casual clothes and with a capable demeanor, also stood up.
"Are you okay?" Autumn Mountain Yawata asked from the communication screen.
"I'll do my best. If you're not at ease, you can also have Mr. Meng Jiao and Mr. Wa Yali come to support! Oh, right, and that girl named Ina..."
Autumn Mountain Yawata leaned back tactically, hiding his uncontrollable eye-roll behind the glare of his glasses.
"Unfortunately, they have already departed."
Lilia left a noncommittal smile, closed the terminal, and stood up.
The group walked out of the open-air coastal cafe's fence, crossed the road, and headed towards the most conspicuous building across the street, which was none other than the Luna Star System Independence Memorial Hall, located in the heart of Emerald Harbor.
I took the baby to Happy Valley during the day. There are many activities during the double holiday, and many Misses are dancing!
Sorry for updating so late.
