Chapter 1235: Chapter 1235: Ritual (Request for Monthly Tickets)
“What happened?”
Roger raised his head, looking at the slowly opening gate ahead, and asked softly, “Are we heading into the city?”
“Seems like it,”
The driver had been replaced by a slightly older soldier, who gripped the steering wheel as he glanced at the slow-moving troops ahead. “The orders we just received were for us to enter the city.”
Bzzz—
As he spoke, Roger felt a vibration on his wrist. He lifted his wristband and glanced at the information displayed.
The ssage ca from Lina, a mber of the Life Goddess Church and one of Vian’s “Doctors”. Naturally, Roger was also registered with the upper echelons of the Nolanka Group.
The ssage briefly introduced the current situation:
It stated that an unidentified rcenary corps had appeared in the northern part of Dawn City, breached the walls, and that the rcenary corps in the South City was currently engaged in suppressing rebellion, unable to spare forces for support. Thus, the group had been “invited” by the southern rcenary corps to enter the city to assist Dawn City’s mayor.
Following this, Lina expressed concern for Roger’s current condition, reminding him to stay close to the main unit, and to contact her if there were any problems.
Roger quickly responded and thanked her for her concern.
Then he looked up again, gazing at the opening gate.
“What’s going on, Doctor Roger,”
The young soldier sitting in the passenger seat leaned forward, cautiously asking with a hint of slyness, “Any inside scoop?”
“No news,”
Roger glanced at the slightly nervous young soldier and smiled, “Dawn City’s governnt ran into so troubles and needs us to go in and help.”
“Dawn City’s governnt?”
The young soldier looked up at the towering city walls outside, speaking with so surprise, “They really need help from rcenary corps from small places like ours?!”
“What are you saying,”
This ti, Roger hadn’t had ti to reply when the older soldier at the driver’s seat raised his voice, “We’re equipped with advanced exoskeleton armor, seasoned fighters who’ve been through real battles. Even the rcenary corps from the Evis Spatial System, as formidable as they are, couldn’t best us in a fight.
“Forget Dawn City—for the entirety of the Federation, if you walk around saying you’re from the Nolanka Group’s rcenary corps, even the Wilderness Wanderers you’ll et on the road will give you a thumbs up.”
“Are we really that good?”
The young soldier froze for a mont, asking with a trace of excitent.
“Hey, seems like you’ve never stepped out of Kaye City,”
The driver chuckled, “Relax. We’re that skilled. But don’t be reckless—stick with when the ti cos. Just follow your training as you’ve always done, and don’t worry; we’ll all make it out alive.”
“Okay.”
The young soldier stared ahead at the gate, nodding slightly.
“Think about your mom back ho, think about your sister at the steak factory, think about your younger brother at school,”
The driver started the vehicle, following the troops ahead. He pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. “We’re fighting here so that the flas of war don’t reach Kaye City. The more blood we shed, the less blood they’ll have to.
“Even if you die, Vian will ensure your family receives a substantial compensation package. Vian isn’t like those other bloodsucking types who delay payouts for months. His compensation reaches the family within a week at most. Plus, your siblings would get priority for good positions at the group’s university and factories. Of course,”
The veteran took a puff of smoke, “It’s best if you survive—after all, our salaries aren’t half bad, are they.”
He cast a glance at the young soldier fiddling with his fingers, “But let warn you upfront, if you desert, I’ll be the first to gun you down. Even if you manage to escape, don’t bother returning to Kaye City. The neighbors there won’t welco a coward.”
“Sergeant, that’s kind of insulting,”
The young soldier’s previously uneasy deanor straightened upon hearing the driver’s words. His face reddened and he stuck out his neck, “You can curse , but you can’t say that…”
“Then keep your mindset steady, kid,”
The driver gripped the steering wheel and flicked the cigarette butt out the window, letting it fall into the icy snowfield. “We’re entering the city.”
Roger raised his head, his gaze following the sparks, the silence of the wasteland, and the vast expanse of white snow.
The cool breeze swept past the roaring convoy, stirring the flickering sparks under the darkened night sky.
He withdrew his gaze, looking at the glowing nutrient pod beside him, gently placing his hand on it.
At this mont, he noticed the young soldier in the passenger seat stealing glances at him.
Roger chuckled and grabbed a transparent vial of dicine from his waist, tossing it toward him, “This is for external wounds—if you get shot, sprinkle it directly on the wound to stop the bleeding quickly. Though, it might sting a bit.”
The young soldier caught the vial, staring at the white powder inside, hurriedly saying, “Doctor Roger, this is too valuable of a gift.”
“No problem; we’re in this fight together,”
Roger smiled, “We’re all working for Vian, helping each other is only natural. These powders were prepared for battlefield use anyway.”
Hearing this, the young soldier paused for a mont. Gripping the vial, he hesitated, then looked at Roger and said softly, “Thank you. Thank you.”
The veteran driver rely glanced at the young soldier and said nothing.
The rumbling convoy slowly passed the flat terrain before the gate, crossing the open outer gate and entering the wide, expansive jar city.
Faint and sporadic gunfire resounded above the city walls.
At the deepest part of the jar city, its innermost gate slowly began to open.
The dazzling lights spilled out from the enormous gate.
——
“The North Gate was breached?”
A silver-haired man with a ponytail stared at Christos before him, flipping the piece of paper repeatedly. “How did the North Gate fall? Dick has so many troops there, and he himself is an old-school B-level commander. He couldn’t even hold a single gate?”
“Based on the timing, Dick’s forces shouldn’t have reached the North Gate yet,”
Christos massaged his temples. “Most likely, it’s the usual trick of the consortium—the commander in charge of the North Gate was bribed, surrendering before Dick’s ‘reinforcents’ could get there.”
“Dick didn’t notice his subordinates being infiltrated by the consortium?”
The silver-haired man rubbed his forehead. “He’s been in charge of the North City Defense Army for so many years and can’t even maintain control? To open a gate, it isn’t sothing just one commander can manage. From Yilan City’s records, it would take at least a group of bribed commanders to pull this off.”
He sighed in frustration, “If Dick had strategic control over the gate’s central command, the gate wouldn’t have been opened so easily!”
“Things have co to this point, complaining doesn’t help,”
Christos shook his head.
At that mont, a young guard entered the room, handing a docunt to Christos. “Mr. Christos, intelligence from the North City’s command center.”
“From now on, skip the protocols. Send all intelligence directly to my private device instead. The situation is urgent, let’s not waste ti.”
Christos quickly took the docunt, speaking as he did so.
“Understood!”
The guard saluted sharply, “I’ll relay your order imdiately.”
“Who’s it from?”
The silver-haired man raised his head, looking at Christos. “Dick’s?”
“Yeah,”
Christos skimd the materials pulled from the envelope and quickly said, “He says that rcenary corps is advancing straight toward the Glorious Palace.”
He moved to the window, gazing downward at the crowd still gathering in the square outside.
“The North Gate commander defected; it was indeed him who opened the gate to let the rcenary corps in. Dick stated he’s mobilizing forces loyal to him in the North City to try and stop them, while he himself is redirecting his main forces toward the Glorious Palace.”
After hearing Christos’ words, the silver-haired man fell silent montarily, eventually sighing bitterly. “Eight hundred years of unbreakable walls, breached in less than an hour.”
“Technically speaking,”
Christos turned his head, glancing at him with a smile. “It wasn’t broken from external assault but due to betrayal. So this doesn’t count as a real breach for the records.”
The silver-haired man hadn’t expected Christos to retain his composure enough to jest at this mont. His words faltered, and he sighed heavily. “You seem surprisingly composed.”
“It’s not the first ti we’ve faced a ‘death threat’,”
Christos chuckled and turned back, heading toward his desk.
“What’s your plan?”
The silver-haired man looked at him.
Christos picked up the phone on his desk and spoke calmly, “The distance from the North Gate to the Glorious Palace is second only to the northeast gate. From the north, they must pass through the old factory district slated for demolition. That route isn’t ideal for moving large numbers of troops,
“But even so, if they abandon their supplies and move lightly, they’ll likely still reach the Glorious Palace quickly.”
He lifted his hand, pressing a button on the phone. Then he quickly said, “Notify the Mayor’s Guard to evacuate the protestors in front of the Glorious Palace.”
The person on the other end paused before asking hesitantly, “Mr. Christos, should we inform them of the current situation?”
“Let them know.”
Christos stated calmly, “Share all current intel with the commander of the Mayor’s Guard.”
“Understood!”
The voice on the other end responded promptly.
Reviews
All reviews (0)