Counterfeit Hero

”Have our men expand the surveillance range and keep an eye on every road leading to the outside world from Bering Port and Hidden Dragon Port! Especially to the west of Bering Port.”

Having concluded the simulation, Feiler stood up, paced back and forth with his head down, checked the time, and ordered, ”Command all units to hurry. The attack must commence precisely at 8 AM. Order the Warrior Mercenary Corps’ First Armored Group and Second Armored Group to speed up their advance; they must reach the designated location by midnight at the latest and engage in the attack.”

”Yes!” The staff officer received the order and left.

Selwal wore a worried expression and hesitated, ”The north........”

”The arrow is on the string, and it must go off,” Feiler said calmly, ”Before planning the Puluo Town offensive, we had reserved enough defensive forces. Now, all units have reached their designated locations, and within 24 hours, Puluo Town will be in our hands. Even if the Longxing Association dispatched troops now, they couldn’t reach Central City within 24 hours, let alone breach our defensive line.”

”But that armored squad.....” Selwal’s brow remained furrowed.

”Since the north hasn’t acted, then.....” Feiler looked at the electronic sandbox with a cold smile, ”It can only be the bandit army’s troops. What’s their purpose in coming here, do we even need to guess? Detouring from the Inner River Bridge is merely a feint to lure us away!”

”A decapitation strike?” Selwal scoffed, ”With just those dozens of Mecha?”

”Report!”

As Selwal finished speaking, a staff officer suddenly stood up from the central control station, stumbled and pushed past the other staff officers in the aisle, rushed to Feiler, and hastily said, ”The 4th Armored Battalion has been defeated by the enemy.”

”What?!”

Selwal and Feiler’s faces changed simultaneously.

****************************************************************************

The sky was gradually getting brighter, but the clouds still shrouded Puluo Town. Their heavy appearance showed no sign of dispersing.

The heavy rain continued to pour down. Large raindrops splattered on the ground, raising countless splashes. The street water flowed downhill with the terrain, and the leaves by the roadside swayed in the wind and rain, each leaf glistening after being washed by the rain.

The streets were sparsely populated. The residents had all retreated to air raid shelters or the underground buildings of the Space City. Those who hadn’t hidden away mostly stayed at home. The once-bustling city instantly turned desolate. On the streets, only the food distribution points controlled by the Sect Mutual Aid Alliance remained open. People who hadn’t gone to the shelters for unified distribution lined up, occasionally turning to watch the soldiers running in formation through the rain, and the military vehicles or Mecha loaded with supplies and personnel.

From afar, the sound of artillery fire continued to echo sporadically. People were already confused about where the fighting was taking place. East, west, south..... The artillery sounds reverberated among tall buildings, sounding like they came from every direction, making it hard to determine where they originated. It was said that this time, the Northern Alliance had dispatched a large number of troops, launching simultaneous attacks on Puluo Town from different directions. Residents outside the Three-Ring Road had already been evacuated to the city center, which had become the bandit army’s circular defensive line.

People couldn’t help but worry.

After all, the frontline was only a short forty kilometers from the city center. Once breached, the enemy could charge here along the highway within an hour. Could the bandit army hold them off? Would Puluo Town eventually turn into a hell of bloody carnage like Central City, Infantry Port, and Lille Port?

It was already seven in the morning, and various rumors were spreading on the streets.

Some said that the bandit army had just won a major battle in the south yesterday, defeating none other than the regular armored troops of the Suss Empire. Many people swore they had seen countless captured weapons and supplies being transported back to Puluo Town, and now, many warriors on the front line wielded the enemy’s weapons.

Others said Puluo Town was already surrounded by seven or eight Northern Alliance armies, and fighting had long since begun on the front line. Because the bandit armored troops had broken through, only infantry remained to hold the position, and since last night, the outer defenses had been completely lost. Now, they could only rely on the Three-Ring Road defense line to resist, but it probably wouldn’t hold for long. This news was dismissed by many who claimed that although the enemy had surrounded Puluo Town, they hadn’t started attacking yet. The bandit army had voluntarily retreated to strengthen their defensive intensity.

There’s also news from Central City that people heard artillery in the Northern Alliance’s defense zone all night, along with the sounds of troop movements. Some even claimed to have witnessed bleeding Northern Alliance soldiers being loaded into rescue Mecha, with the dead lined up for miles, too many to count. Allegedly, that was the bandit army’s doing, an act of retaliation.

Good news and bad news circulated among the people of Puluo Town, and no one could discern the truth of these reports. People could only pray—pray that the bandit army would hold back the fierce enemy outside Puluo Town’s defenses, pray that they and their families wouldn’t become cold, lifeless bodies in such chaotic times.

The rain continued to drizzle, while the traffic lights on the street changed coldly.

In the distance, the artillery sounds seemed to grow much denser.

An unsightly Black Mecha lay overturned in the muddy ground, hiding its body behind the wreckage of a Red Mecha on a dirt slope. A few energy bullets almost scraped against its body, exploding near and far in succession. The explosions left several large holes in the dirt slope, scattering wet mud that struck the Mecha’s cold, hard external armor, only to be washed away by the pouring rain.