Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 18 - 18 Time and Again

[Antenna] activated electromagnetic interference, covering an attack area with a radius of 5 kilometers. Within half an hour, if it wasn’t directly destroyed, [Antenna] would be the absolute ruler here, and no signal could escape its cage. Even if the Imperial Army had more powerful electronic countermeasure weapons, the earliest they could struggle out of their disadvantage would be half an hour later.

A vehicle called [Anger] and six Warrior Pioneers stayed behind to protect [Antenna], while other Single Soldier Mechas had already entered the assault line. As soon as electromagnetic interference started, it was like thousands of galloping horses, and the mechas initiated a collective surprise attack.

The charge of armored combat units on the battlefield had a terrifying momentum. The charge of dozens of Single Soldier Mechas was earth-shattering. This startled action achieved a good effect, with the base sounding the alarm. The sound of Guard Mechas starting up was clearly discernible, and five hundred meters away, charging Federation Mechas launched the first batch of missiles. Fatty always felt amazed when he saw the salvo of missiles; it looked so much like the scenes in science documentaries under microscopes, especially the segment of sperm missiles attacking the ovum fortress—it was spectacular. He kept wondering how those documentaries were filmed, only to find out that it was simulated by computers using real images, feeling deeply deceived and regretful.

Missiles accurately hit the gate and the walls. With the explosion, the gate and the steel temporary walls were blown high up, dust flew everywhere, and the entire wall was blown open to a hundred-meter gap. Inside was the mecha parking area of the guard camp, and Imperial Soldiers wearing shorts were desperately climbing onto their mechas.

How could Fatty let their mechas start up? He was the first to rush up, with his damaged mecha charging forward in a strange posture, like a crazy baboon.

The visible area was rapidly destroyed; such surprise attacks usually didn’t meet much resistance. After all, the power of energy machine guns and missiles was enough to make the opponents lie down again just as they woke up.

Two rows of barracks were quickly cleared, and no living person in the parked area could climb onto their mechas. Fatty had a rule in fights, never give the opponent a chance if possible, and he would never relent, crushing them to the end. However, being timid, he always only thought about it in his heart; before joining the army, he had never been in a fight, despite his teeth-gritting efforts to psyche himself up during conflicts, he ended up backing down and resolving peacefully.

”I’m a born pacifist, too merciful. I can’t bear to see people bleeding. Otherwise, I would definitely do this...that... extreme gore and violence... Fatty boasted to his friends.

But this wasn’t a fight; it was a real battlefield life-and-death struggle. Perhaps because he had killed people while fleeing, he had passed this psychological barrier. Or maybe in war, human psychology changes to different extents; anyway, Fatty didn’t see the enemy before him as living beings. When the Logic’s energy machine gun swept over the Imperial Soldiers wearing only shorts, turning them into splattering blood and flesh, Fatty didn’t feel nauseated or fearful but rather exhilarated, driving a damaged mecha forward into the base.

The artillery fire began to stretch out, with missiles and cannons spreading into the base. Some Imperial Mechas stationed further away finally came out, some were from the patrol nearby, others were the survivors from the Federation Mechas’ extended artillery fire. The Federation Army’s firepower started being suppressed. As all Federation Mechas had just orderly cut into the base gate and divided into two arrowheads for a deep assault, Fatty collided head-on with the approaching Imperial Mechas.

Twenty to one. Fatty quickly assessed the situation.

A missile flew over and hit Logic’s chest precisely, and the damaged mecha immediately fell to the ground. The huge explosion blew a big hole in Logic’s chest, exposing damaged circuits to the air, flickering sparks, with black smoke rising all over.

The Imperial soldiers found it odd—what was this piece of junk? Dared to be the first to charge and it died with one hit. Had the Federation fallen to such poverty?

But the attacking Federation troops had already breached the base, and the Guard Company responsible for gate defense couldn’t resist amid such intense artillery fire. So, Imperial Mechas, without time to consider, bypassed the damaged Federation mecha and ran forward. One mecha still not at ease casually hit the pile of scrap on the ground with an energy cannon, with no reaction... almost ruining another Imperial Mecha that stepped over the scrap and rushed to the gate.

This scene shocked the Special Reconnaissance Company soldiers.

”No way? The deputy company commander who just arrived this afternoon got killed?”

”Fatty, Fatty!”

”He’s usually so cunning, how did he go crazy once the fight began?”

”The mecha is surely scrapped; not sure if he’s still alive.”

”With such a big hole in the chest, he’s definitely dead.”

”All-out assault, retrieve the deputy commander’s mecha.”

”Revenge, revenge!”

The Special Reconnaissance Company’s communication channel was in chaos; no one had expected that the newly met Fatty would be killed by the enemy so quickly. Did this Fatty eat gunpowder? Rushing in all alone.

Just when they thought Tian Xingjian had already sacrificed, behind those more than twenty Imperial Mechas, the Magic Beast Ⅲ, so broken it was unrecognizable, actually crawled up again.

The soldiers of the reconnaissance team were tearful; this was a heroic moment. The broken Magic Beast, as if rising again from hell, launched two missiles at the nearby passing Imperial Mechas. The mechanical arm of Magic Beast grabbed another Imperial Single-Person Mecha, smashing its cockpit into pieces with a punch.

What a tragic scene. Behind the resurrected Magic Beast Ⅲ, at least forty or fifty Imperial Mechas were swarming.

Forty to one?

Several energy bullets hit the broken Magic Beast Ⅲ.

The mecha fell once again, dramatically, amidst the flames.

”Fatty!”

”Fight!! Give them hell!”

”Charge! Avenge the deputy commander!”

The enraged Federation soldiers began their charge. Two [Anger] vehicles responsible for providing fire support emitted angry roars; six energy cannons fired hundreds of rounds like a ribbon flying in the night, everything in their path turned to ashes. The two missile launchers almost continuously launched high-explosive missiles, with huge explosions piercing the sky.

Two Single Soldier Mecha arrowheads quickly interspersed, dividing the dozens of arriving Imperial Mechas. Without communication command, radar, and weapon-locking systems failing, relying purely on manual operation, the Imperial Mechas couldn’t possibly match the trained and proactive Federation Special Reconnaissance Soldiers.

The broken Magic Beast Mecha stood up once again...

Several soldiers of the First Company wept...

”Isn’t this courting death?” They thought, ”The deputy commander is too fierce! Too fearless!”

Among the surging Imperial Mechas, the Magic Beast fell...

The Special Reconnaissance Company soldiers began feeling eerie...

Magic Beast stood up again...

Magic Beast fell...

Magic Beast again...

Time and again, the damaged mecha in the midst of fierce artillery fire kept ambushing the advancing Imperial Mechas one after another.

Fatty, having tasted the benefits, relished this, and his scrap-performing technique of playing dead became increasingly adept.

”Fatty! What the hell are you doing?!”

The channel echoed Rashid’s howl.

All the tears on the Federation soldiers’ faces dried up... They felt like they were being played by that treacherous Fatty.

”Despicable!”

Resoundingly, the channel was filled with simultaneous angry curses.