Chapter 796: Huge Bargain

Favri was certainly not so sleep-deprived that he had lost his mind. In fact, he had worked out his little scheme quite thoroughly.

Of course the Burning Corps would never obediently withdraw from positions they had fought so hard to capture, but that did not stop him from making an outrageous opening demand at the negotiation table.

And conveniently enough, there happened to be someone standing right beside him who was perfect for the job.

Since you, Pangolin, are supposed to be so capable, then you can be the one to open your mouth and make that ridiculous demand.

To put it plainly, Favri just wanted to watch the guy embarrass himself. He never actually expected Pangolin to persuade the Burning Corps to withdraw. Once the New Alliance was enraged by him and decided to settle both old and new grudges together, wouldn’t it be perfect if Favri then stepped in to mediate?

The more Favri thought about it, the more he felt like an absolute genius!

What he did not know, however, was that every one of the people standing in front of him was a buddy of the fellow standing beside him. Just a few hours earlier, they had even been shitposting together on the same forum.

As Favri smiled at Pangolin, the expression on the latter’s face gradually shifted from surprise to speechlessness.

Battlefield Cheerleader could now confirm that the guy really wasn’t joking. He genuinely had stayed up so long that his brain had stopped working! This bastard really thought that with nothing but his mouth, Pangolin could persuade the New Alliance’s most elite corps to withdraw.

With pair after pair of eyes focused on him, Battlefield Cheerleader was unwilling a thousand times over, but he could only darken his expression, grit his teeth, and nod. “I’ll give it a try.”

Leaving behind those cool words, he strode forward, presenting the Wislander soldiers behind him with a tall and imposing back.

At the same time, on the ruins opposite, Old White and Ample Time had been watching the Wislanders with great interest, waiting for their mighty “New Alliance killer” to approach.

Seeing the helpless expression on his brother’s face, Ample Time first teased him with a laugh. “You guys move way too fast.”

He hadn’t expected the one coming over to be one of their own. That made things much easier!

Hearing their fellow brother complaining, Battlefield Cheerleader sighed. “Can’t be helped... I already did everything I could to stall them.”

Old White glanced at the Wislander soldiers standing in the distance, then looked back at him curiously before asking, “So what does your commanding officer want?”

Glancing at the guy in the distance who was standing there with his arms folded, Battlefield Cheerleader curled his lips and lowered his voice as he spoke. “That guy isn’t my commanding officer. He’s more like a colleague. I was seconded to the 37th Division earlier. My current superior is Cowley, General of the 37th Division.”

Free Sniper, standing beside Old White, still remembered the name and said in surprise, “Well, damn. You’re back under your old boss again?”

“Sort of.” Battlefield Cheerleader’s expression became a little strange.

His secondment order would only last until the end of the war. Once this campaign was over, he would be transferred back to the embassy. It might sound like he was showing off, but the fact was that thanks to the support of his good brothers, he was now rather sought-after among the Army’s various factions.

Both the Eastern Army and the civilian faction were very interested in him.

As for why he had chosen to develop within the civilian faction, one reason was that it gave him a better chance of reaching Triumphant City, while another was the administrator’s recommendation. In any case, he would not remain with the 37th Division for long.

Old White nodded in understanding and asked seriously, “So what’s your mission?”

Battlefield Cheerleader did not hide anything and simply told them the truth. “While you guys and the Torch Church were locked in a bitter fight, we were supposed to come in under the pretext of helping you and bring this entire area under the Army’s de facto control.”

Prop Master snorted, “Fuck, that’s dirty.”

“Exactly! I think so too! It’s fucking filthy! Is that something a decent person would do?” Battlefield Cheerleader angrily complained as well, then shrugged and continued, “Then when we got here, we found out the fighting was already over. The guy behind me, Favri, couldn’t make up his mind for the moment, so he sent me over to try my luck and see if I can persuade you guys to leave.”

Old White thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “Looks like the Army isn’t prepared for a direct clash with us.”

Battlefield Cheerleader replied, “Of course not. Hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line depend on New Alliance railways for supplies. Without our help, they wouldn’t even be able to get home. What are they supposed to fight us with? If you reject my outrageous opening demand, they’ll probably just find another way to argue with you.”

Free Sniper sneered, “Heh, if they don’t dare fight anyway, I don’t see why there’s anything to discuss. Just tell them to fuck off and play with themselves somewhere the sun don’t shine.”

“Hmm, actually... if those Wislanders want it that badly, why not just give it to them?” Ample Time, who had been deep in thought, suddenly raised his head and interrupted Free Sniper halfway through his sentence.

“Give it to them?”

Hearing that, several players nearby turned toward him in surprise, wondering if they had heard correctly. However, their surprise lasted only an instant. Everyone quickly understood what Ample Time meant.

“That actually makes sense!”

“Holy shit! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“HOHOHO!”

Watching these guys change their expressions faster than turning a page, Battlefield Cheerleader was completely confused and hurriedly said, “You really don’t have to accommodate me. Whether I get credit for this or not honestly doesn’t matter.”

“It has nothing to do with accommodating you.” Ample Time smiled faintly and explained, “Though this really is an opportunity for you. I suggest you make good use of it.”

Battlefield Cheerleader’s expression became serious as he stared at Ample Time in shock. “You’re seriously planning to hand this place over to them?”

Ample Time answered as though it were obvious. “Why not? There’s nothing here except a pile of broken rocks anyway.”

“There’s nothing here?” Battlefield Cheerleader froze again.

How is that possible?

If there was truly nothing here, why would the New Alliance’s most elite airborne troops have fought all night over the damn place?

Seeing the expression on his face that clearly said, “Do you take me for an idiot?” Ample Time patiently explained. “The offensive we launched against this urban area last night was mainly a diversion. Its purpose was to cover another one of our units entering the real entrance to Shelter 20. As for this place, it was actually nothing more than a Mutant Human tribe.”

“At this point, we’ve already rescued the prisoners locked in the dungeon and recovered pretty much all the valuable loot. Everything left is just scraps and useless junk. There might even be some unexploded mines or dud shells lying around. We might as well let our old friends have some fun with it.”

“Holy shit!” Battlefield Cheerleader’s eyes widened after hearing this.

Damn!

When it came to cooking up nasty schemes, this guy was still the real expert!

Completely unaware of what Battlefield Cheerleader was thinking, Ample Time merely smiled faintly at his stunned expression and continued, “The Army is already convinced that something valuable is hidden in this area. They’ll definitely spare no effort pressuring us through the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, or they’ll start throwing mud at us. Explaining the situation here later would probably be a huge hassle. So instead of letting them keep obsessing over these ruins, we might as well throw the place to them and let them figure it out themselves.”

“On the surface, it looks like we’re taking a step back, but in reality, we’ll be the ones holding the initiative to advance or retreat.”

“If they try to blame us afterward, we can turn around and accuse them instead, saying that the Torch Church’s key strategic defensive facility has already been transferred to the Army’s 37th Division, and claim that they secretly moved important personnel, data, and equipment elsewhere while refusing to disclose it.”

The entrance to Shelter 20 was at least seven or eight kilometers away from this abandoned urban district. That sounded close, but in practice, it was still a fair distance to travel. Giving up the abandoned district did not mean giving up the entrance to Shelter 20.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. We’ll pack up and leave,” Old White said with a grin.

He originally wanted to reach out and pat Battlefield Cheerleader on the shoulder, but then remembered that the guy’s comrades were standing not far away, so he changed it to a meaningful wink instead. “We’ll leave the plate-licking to you guys.”

“Awesome...” Battlefield Cheerleader couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

These scheming bastards are getting more and more devious...

...

The negotiations ended quickly, taking barely more than 10 minutes from start to finish. Standing at the rear waiting for the outcome, Favri saw Pangolin walking back. The expressionless look he had worn a moment earlier instantly turned into one of mocking amusement.

There was no need to think about it. Coming back this quickly meant the talks had definitely collapsed! Although he had already guessed the outcome, Favri still knowingly asked, “So? Esteemed Commander Pangolin, did the New Alliance flee in terror after hearing of your peerless valor?”

Facing that mocking gaze, Battlefield Cheerleader resisted the urge to roll his eyes and replied casually, “They agreed to withdraw and hand this position over to us.”

The air fell silent in an instant, so quiet that even a needle hitting the ground would have been clearly audible. Favri froze in place and took a long time to recover, thinking he had misheard.

And it wasn’t just Favri. His adjutant, subordinate officers, and even the rank-and-file soldiers all wore astonished expressions.

“They... They’re leaving?!” Favri gasped. Staring blankly at Pangolin, Favri instinctively looked into the distance. Just then, he happened to see those soldiers wearing exoskeletons and exoframes leaving their positions one after another, packing up and withdrawing toward the south.

At that moment, when he looked back at Pangolin, his eyes were as though he were staring at some kind of monster.

Battlefield Cheerleader could guess the shock in his heart, but pretended not to notice. He merely nodded coolly, putting on the air of some detached master as he placed his hands behind his back to slowly explain, “That’s right. This fortress is ours now. We’ll continue exploring the parts they didn’t have time to search. As for what we might find, they don’t know either. They only heard from intelligence that there was an entrance to one of the Torch Church’s research facilities here.”

An entrance to a research facility!

The eyes of the officers under Favri instantly turned red when they heard those words. It was the same for the soldiers too. They did not really care about the research facility itself. What mattered to them was that they had captured a Torch Church fortress without spilling a drop of blood!

Well, even if it had been taken from friendly forces and even if no one knew what was inside.

The instant he finished speaking, the soldiers behind Favri could no longer contain themselves and erupted into cheers, whistling at Pangolin and giving him thumbs-ups gestures.

“Nicely done!”

“Hero!”

“Hahaha! Look at how pathetic the New Alliance was! Running into us was really their bad luck!”

“Keep it down, they haven’t gone far yet...”

“What are you afraid of? This whole area belongs to us now!”

At that moment, almost every gaze directed at Battlefield Cheerleader was like they were looking at a true hero.

The Wislanders worshipped genuine strength. He had proven his through action and results!

Favri did not stop his men from cheering. He simply stared blankly at Pangolin. A moment later, he collected himself and his expression gradually became serious.

Seeing the man walk toward him, Battlefield Cheerleader felt a hint of wariness, though he did not show it on his face. He simply watched calmly, wondering what trick Favri was planning this time. But to his surprise, the annoying man did no such thing. Instead, he took off his military cap and bowed with his head lowered.

Looking at the slightly surprised Pangolin, Favri put his cap back on and said seriously, “I apologize for my earlier rudeness and arrogance. You are a true hero, not someone whose reputation exceeds his ability.”

Seeing the man sincerely apologizing, Battlefield Cheerleader’s impression of him improved slightly.

This guy actually isn’t that unbearable. He simply places a great deal of importance on honor and tradition.

Still, they had their differences. He was a member of the New Alliance, and the New Alliance’s interests came first. When it was time to screw someone over for his brother-in-arms, he would not hesitate.

“I accept your apology, though I never took the earlier matter to heart.”

A smile appeared on Favri’s face. “Thank you!”

After their brief exchange, Favri ordered his men to advance and take over the now-empty positions abandoned by the New Alliance forces.

The dense bullet holes covering the walls, along with the bloodstains and corpses littering the ground that had not yet been cleaned up, were enough to show just how brutal the previous battle had been.

The New Alliance had clearly paid a considerable price to seize the position, and now, all of it had fallen straight into the Army’s lap.

Being able to pick up such a huge bargain from the New Alliance delighted Favri beyond measure.

If they had not been on the frontline, where he needed to keep a clear head at all times, he would have loved nothing more than to pull out a bottle and take a few drinks to release his excitement.

However, just as he patiently waited for good news from the search teams ahead, a sudden explosion thundered from somewhere deep within the ruins. The blast was like a clap of thunder exploding out of nowhere, shaking even the concrete rubble on the ground.

Favri, still lost in his pleasant daydreams, jumped in fright. The Wislander soldiers surrounding him immediately raised their rifles as though facing a great enemy and aimed toward the source of the explosion.

More than a dozen Wislander soldiers wearing protective suits rushed out of the ruins together with the dust kicked up by the blast.

Grabbing hold of a Decurion who had fled out in a sorry state, Favri roared, “What just happened?!”

“I-I don’t know... I was clearing the battlefield when the team ahead of me suddenly got blown away.”

The Decurion stammered, his face still filled with lingering shock. When he looked back toward the ruins, his eyes were full of fear.

It had happened too suddenly. There had been no time to react at all!

Battlefield Cheerleader naturally knew what had happened, but still put on a thoughtful expression and pretended to ponder for a while before saying, “Probably an unexploded dud.”

Favri looked completely dumbfounded. “An unexploded dud?”

“Well, it’s exploded now.” Although that was complete nonsense, Battlefield Cheerleader still said it with a perfectly serious expression.

The sudden explosion cast a shadow over all the Wislanders who had still been riding the high of their excitement.

Sure enough, the most expensive things in the world were free. It seemed things were not quite as simple as they had imagined...

While the Wislanders were busy playing their little minesweeper game, a Viper transport aircraft trailing pale-blue exhaust was slowly descending onto the deck of the Heart of Steel.

Seeing Karen jump down from the transport aircraft, Hyrja excitedly rushed forward, startling the former so badly before she had even found her footing that she nearly fell over. “W-what are you doing...”

“Master!” No longer able to restrain the longing in her heart, the emotional Hyrja threw her arms around Karen and rested her chin on the latter’s shoulder as she began to sob. Before long, tears were streaming down her face.

Karen was completely frightened by her reaction. She froze in place, standing stiffly without moving, not daring to speak and having no idea what was wrong with the person in her arms.

As for the soldiers standing around them, especially Lu Bei of the Guard Corps, they watched Karen warily. Although she had made contributions during the previous battle, that did not change the fact that she had once been a Torch Church researcher. He had to remain cautious against any possible unexpected situation.

Compared with Lu Bei and the others, who looked as though they were facing a major threat, Chu Guang appeared much more relaxed, or at least he did not wear his suspicion openly on his face.

Of course, that did not mean he completely trusted Karen. There were far too many suspicious points surrounding her, including Shelter 20, which the Burning Corps was still searching and investigating, as well as the rows upon rows of brains stored inside the shelter.

Perhaps he ought to go to the official forum and consult the collective wisdom of the masses!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.