The Legendary Mechanic, page 579
There was no need for the three parties to make any preparations before the war as all three parties had always maintained war readiness. The three parties had split up the Gulal Civilization’s land into three regions and lined up troops to guard their own territories. The commander only needed to give the order for war to begin.
Thus, the entrance of the Black Star Army also signaled the beginning of the war between the three parties.
The officers of the Pioneer Party first had a discussion with the commander of the Black Star Army’s fleet, and the players were given a new list of missions to choose from.
The Pioneer Party provided a military star map with the nine Star Zones of the other two parties being marked out.
The majority of the Black Star Army manpower was sent back to the Flickering World, and the remaining manpower was left to guard their bases. Thus, not many mercenaries were sent to complete the mission, and they did not have an overwhelming advantage in strength. As such, it would be difficult to complete this mission in a short period. With their objectives of exterminating the enemy army and capturing the enemy’s planets, the Black Star Army needed to push the battle line forward slowly to capture the enemy territories.
The colonial planets, resource rich planets, and military bases were the missions that the players could choose. As such, there were many opportunities for ground battles. This was a civil war after all, and they would not choose to bomb the enemy’s planet to capture it. As such, the players were immediately put to good use. The greatest place to utilize a few million Grade B players was a ground battle!
After looking through the mission introduction, the players all grew excited. They had experienced many different events already and instantly knew that this mission would be the most exciting one. Fighting together with a battleship was extremely troublesome, and the players preferred fighting monsters on the ground instead. Furthermore, they were the main characters of this employment mission, and they only needed to enjoy the battle to their heart’s content.
The size and levels of the enemy had been indicated, and the players could make their decision carefully. The levels of the enemies were also extremely clear. The enemy could be roughly broken down into a few different groups: cannon fodder soldiers, Grade C high grade monsters, Grade B elite monsters, Grade B mini-bosses, and a few Calamity Grade bosses that had their own names.
All the players were extremely satisfied with the mission. This was the main reason they joined the mission—to fight as they wished!
They finally did not have to just watch from the side!
Chapter 877. The Mysterious Individual Watching the Players |
For one month later, the Pioneer Party defended against the attacks of the Ancient Emperor Party and Descendant Party while counterattacking with the Black Star Army. The three parties tried to break through the holes of the enemy’s defenses, which resulted in a jagged territorial line on the star map.
At this moment, a colonial planet that was near the border of the Ancient Emperor Party was being invaded. The Pioneer Party and Black Star Army fleet were engaged in an intense battle with the defense fleet of the planet. At the same time, the cities on the planet were being attacked from the sky with their protective shields being bombarded and drop pods being launched at the holes created.
A hemispherical light screen covered the capital city of this colonial planet and endured the never-ending attacks from the sky. Multicolored explosions could be seen on the surface of the light screen, and the protective shield began to flicker unsteadily.
Upon considering the many reasons for a civil war, the local army closed off all the underground sanctuaries and prohibited their civilians from entering. The many inhabitants of the city could only tremble in their own homes, and the ground troops of the city gathered together and looked up at the sky.
Ka-cha!
The protective shield of the city finally could not endure the waves of attacks and began to crack before everyone’s eyes.
The next moment, densely packed black dots could be seen appearing from the sky, descending from above like meteors.
The anti-air cannons of the city immediately opened fire toward the drop pods, and balls of explosions could be seen in the air.
A portion of the drop pods were destroyed in the sky, but many managed to land in the city.
The army of players emerged from the drop pods and sprang into action.
Every one of them had a detection device on them to scan and indicate all hostile targets who had a weapon. The descending army was already extremely used to such missions and began clearing up the enemies in the city.
Battles erupted in every corner of the city, and the players began exchanging fire with the ground troops. Although they had a disadvantage in terms of numbers, the players were almost all Grade B Supers, and a large majority of the enemies were ordinary soldiers.
Grade B Supers were mid-ranked combatants in the galaxy with all of them having the combat strength of an entire army. Destroying a building was a piece of cake, and the players were not ordinary Grade B Supers. They were not afraid of coming under fire and could fight without any worry.
The ground troops were extremely shocked to realize that these galactic mercenaries could charge forward while enduring heavy fire without any fear of death. They were able to easily cut through their formations and massacre their troops.
From the map, the black dots that represented the player army rapidly weaved through the city, and the red dots that represented the enemies disappeared quickly.
At the center of the city, the government building had already been attacked by seven parties of players.
In some room of the government building, an Ancient Emperor Party Grade B Super knelt on the ground with his eyes wide open in shock. The individual in front of him pulled out a blade from his throat, and blood splattered everywhere.
Life was drained from his body, and he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.
“This fellow’s level is pretty high. I’ve only got thirty-seven percent of my health left.” Frenzied Sword shook off the blood on his blade.
The silver black armor that he was wearing now was Mechanical Pugilist equipment with various hidden mechanical weapons hidden all around.
The entire room was littered with corpses, and the members of Rivervale and his teammates were beside him. They had just worked together to get rid of everyone in the room and were now repairing the durability of their equipment while searching for their spoils of war.
Outside the door, the sound of intense fire could be heard. This Grade B officer that they had killed seemed to be pretty important, and a large number of enemy troops were drawn to their location. Maple Moon was keeping guard outside the door, and she used her mechanic traps and electromagnetic artillery tower to return fire. The defenses of a Grade B Mechanic were not something that ordinary soldiers would be able to overcome. They were all suppressed in a corner of the corridor, and their few attempts to charge forward ended with a ground full of corpses.
Maple Moon usually enjoyed playing with Rivervale, and Frenzied Sword was also willing to bring along a reliable Mechanic. The two of them had a pretty good relationship.
When the Mechanics came into contact with compression technology in Version 3.0, they became the most popular choice to form a party with. Mechanics no longer had to slowly build their machines, and their preparation speed increased greatly. Regardless of whether it was to fight a dungeon or complete a mission, every party would generally have a Mechanic. Of course, every Mechanic had a different set of equipment and was able to deal with different circumstances.
Evil Sword injected himself with a serum to recover his health and casually said, “I wonder how many Grade B enemies there are in this city.”
“We should have taken care of most of them.” Frenzied Sword looked at the battle map. “The soldiers in the city have been mostly wiped out. Hao Tian and the others have already killed four Grade Bs downstairs.”
“How lucky. We only managed to kill two along the way,” Evil Sword said with envy.
Grade B Supers were elites that could provide them with plenty of experience. Furthermore, every Grade B elite had a name and would give them additional rewards for the mission. Apart from experience, they were able to collect an additional bounty from the Pioneer Party, and all the players were extremely passionate about killing Grade B enemies.
To a first-rate party, perhaps it would be impossible to solo a Grade B elite, but a party of five was able to easily win against an ordinary Grade B Super. Even if a mini-boss Grade B enemy was difficult to deal with, it was still within the capabilities of the players.
A Star System Civilization would only have ten or twenty Calamity Grade Supers, and they would only appear in key battles. Thus, the millions of Grade B players were basically invincible in the other colonial planets.
Not too long later, the army in this city was completely wiped out, and the players returned to the spaceship before being sent to a new battlefield.
…
“Another three colonial planets were taken down by the Black Star Army’s immortals.”
The upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party looked at the star map, and worry could be seen on their frail faces.
“The immortals of the Black Star Army are far too scary, and it is impossible to restrain them,” one of the officers said. “Up until now, a total of twenty-one colonial planets have been seized by them.”
If the enemy only had a fleet of battleships, they would not feel such a headache. The Ancient Emperor Party was completely helpless against the immortals.
The total number of immortals was probably more than all the Grade Bs in their civilization, and these immortals could not even be killed.
The upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party could only watch as the players capable of reviving captured their colonial planets one after another.
The immortals of the Black Star Army had always been famous in the Shattered Star Ring, and it was their chance to experience it personally this time. Everyone present could not help but feel despair.
Such an enemy was truly far too frightening. Anyone capable of having such a trump card would definitely have a place in the universe!
With the participation of the Black Star Army, the Ancient Emperor Party could no longer see much hope. It would be impossible for them to win if they continued fighting, and the Pioneer Party would probably emerge victorious in another year or so.
However, it was equally impossible for them to surrender. No one would be willing to give up a Star System Civilization. They had already held on for a year, and holding on further might give them a chance to turn the tables around. As they fought back, the upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party had been trying to find reinforcements and plan their retreat.
“That b*stard Ceselin actually defected to the Pioneer Party and even took all his subordinates away. I never imagined that he would be a traitor!” The Ancient Emperor Party leader gritted his teeth. “He must have done something to get the Black Star Army to help the Pioneer Party. If not, there isn’t an explanation for their sudden intervention!”
Upon mentioning Ceselin, a look of hatred could be seen on everyone’s face. If not for his betrayal, they would not have been reduced to such a pathetic state!
“This traitorous b*stard! We have never treated him badly before. We have given him both authority and wealth. Just what is he dissatisfied about, and what right does he have to betray us!”
The Ancient Emperor Party leader slammed the table and said with heartache, “He actually told me that our ideals were different. What a joke! Look at what he did. Just for his so-called ideals, he actually sacrificed so many of his fellow brothers. Does he really think that his actions are extremely noble‽ We have been ruling the civilization extremely well, and this civilization will lose their rightful rulers just because of him! Dammit!”
Upon hearing that, the upper echelons by the side listened with helpless expressions.
Others might have had the rights to say such words, but they knew that they did not. All of them were extremely clear about what their Ancient Emperor Party had done over the past few years.
The way they saw it, their leader must have been angered silly and was just venting his anger.
Right at this moment, the Ancient Emperor Party suddenly stopped cursing, and his entire body froze in place. He then suddenly regained his cool and stood up slowly, with his tone being completely transformed into a different persona.
“It seems like everyone is extremely frustrated. Maybe I can be of some help.”
All the upper echelons were stunned for a moment, and they stood up abruptly.
Was their leader’s mind being controlled‽
The leader of a Star System Civilization would usually be protected by a Calamity Grade spell and psychic energy. This was to prevent him from being controlled by another. At the very least, it would be impossible for a Calamity Grade Super to control the leader of a Star System Civilization without any traces in front of a crowd.
Just who did this?
Could it be a Beyond Grade A‽
“Who are you‽” a military officer said with caution and sent a message to get all the Calamity Grades to rush over.
“You don’t need to worry. I did not come with ill intentions. I do not have any intention to tell you my identity,” the Ancient Emperor Party leader said emotionlessly. “All of you only need to know that I will provide you with resources and manpower to fight the Black Star Army.”
The upper echelons were still doubtful as they looked at each other. However, regardless of whether this was true or false, they decided to play along. At the same time, they were also worried that their comrades might have been controlled. After all, this mysterious individual indeed had the ability to do so.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t worry. I do not want anything.”
“Then, why are you helping us?”
“I am not bothered about your Gulal Civilization, but I am interested in the immortals of the Black Star Army. Furthermore, the longer all of you can survive, the more I can observe them,” the ‘Ancient Emperor Party leader’ said. “My suggestion will only provide all of you with benefits. Do you accept?”
Everyone looked at each other before nodding hesitantly.
“Very good, I will get my people to contact all of you soon. Right, I can give you a suggestion. All of you can try employing the immortals of the Black Star Army.”
Everyone was stunned.
“The Black Star Army is our enemy. You are asking us to seek aid from our enemies? Just what is the meaning of this?”
“Ordinary logic doesn’t seem to be applicable to the immortals. How will you know without trying?” the ‘Ancient Emperor Party leader’ said with a teasing voice.
The Ancient Emperor Party leader then suddenly trembled, and his eyes fell into a daze. He then suddenly snapped out of his daze.
“Has the person controlling me left‽”
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and immediately went forward to support their leader.
“Do you still remember what you said when you were controlled?”
“I remember everything. My body was controlled, but my senses were still present.”
Right at this moment, the Calamity Grade Supers arrived, and after hearing what had happened, they began to check the leader’s condition.
“How is it?” the Ancient Emperor Party leader asked.
“The enchantments used to guard your mind were destroyed in an instant. These enchantments are capable of defending against a Calamity Grade Psychic for ten minutes. The one who controlled you is definitely a Beyond Grade A.”
The expression of the Ancient Emperor Party leader changed slightly. A Beyond Grade A had a huge significance to a Star System Civilization.
There were only five Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring, and only Psyker and Austin had the ability to infiltrate the mind.
Though, it might not be these two but a Beyond Grade A from another Star Field.
Thinking about the words of the mysterious individual, everyone could not help but have a strange look on their face.
To think that they would gain support through such a strange method. This was something that they had never imagined, but at least they now had some hope.
Although they did not know who the other party was, since he was also a Beyond Grade A, he should not be afraid of the Black Star Army.
“Right, he even asked us to seek aid from our enemy. Isn’t this a joke‽ Does he think that the Black Star Army will turn around to help us?”
Everyone was the most puzzled by this suggestion. It was obviously a meaningless action, and they truly did not understand the point of doing so.
The Ancient Emperor Party leader nodded. “Since we do not have any way of retreating, why not we give it a try?”
Chapter 878. Suspicion |
The governing planet of the Pioneer Party was located in Star Zone 3, and the upper echelons within the party were observing the situation of the battle.
In the conference room, the upper echelons of the party were gathered, and the atmosphere was completely different from the meeting in the Ancient Emperor Party. Everyone had a bright smile on their face, with the Pioneer Party’s leader glowing with radiance.
Their army had the upper hand, and it was impossible for them not to be happy.
“The Ancient Emperor Party and Descendant Party are being forced back, and the citizens are also crying out for us to overthrow the rulers. The situation is to our advantage at the moment,” the staff sergeant in charge of analyzing the battle situation said.
The Pioneer Party leader had a bright smile on his face but said, “We need to be even more careful during such a moment and prevent the enemy from fighting back in desperation.”
Although the situation was looking good, he knew that it was impossible for the Ancient Emperor Party to surrender. The result of losing would be extermination.
