Even though he had served as a "military drill instructor" for less than half a month, the number of rookies who had perished at the hands of Battlefield Atmosphere Group was at least in the hundreds, if not thousands.
The forums were filled with wailing and gnashing of teeth, firmly cementing his reputation as a rookie killer.
All that was missing was an official verified achievement from Ah Guang.
Yet even someone who flies hawks for a thousand days can't avoid getting pecked in the eye by one eventually. No matter how steadily a ship sailed, it could still capsize in a muddy ditch.
Just the day after the battlefield veteran—cloaked in the persona of Pangolin—finally achieved the mythical feat of "three thousand kills" and was hailed as a god of war by the *Triumph Gazette*, a crude artillery shell descending from the heavens finally brought him to justice...
Following a deafening roar and the ear-splitting busy tone that succeeded it, he disconnected from the game in short order.
When he logged back in, more than five hours had already passed.
Waking from his "coma," the battlefield veteran opened his eyes wide, startling the doctor stitching his wounds so badly that the man nearly had a heart attack.
Seeing Pangolin—wrapped in bandages like a mummy—suddenly open his eyes, the nurses standing beside the hospital bed were dumbfounded, murmuring to each other in shock.
"...Good heavens, he can actually wake up from that?"
"Doctor Rhett said there are at least twelve pieces of shrapnel in him! The bomb from those barbarians landed less than twenty meters away!"
"Is this what an Awakened is like?"
"He has to be an Awakened... I heard their physical constitution far exceeds ordinary people. Anyone else would've died on the spot."
"Awakening isn't entirely good, though. I hear Awakened struggle to have children."
A quiet, demure nurse suddenly blushed.
"Isn't that great, though..."
Her colleagues all turned to stare at her in astonishment. Embarrassed, her face flushed red as she slipped out the door.
Carefully tying off the final suture, Doctor Rhett tossed his instruments into a nearby tray. He let out a long breath and looked toward Pangolin on the bed.
"You're awake."
Judging by his physical features, Rhett was not a Wilante, but neither did he belong to Sunset Province. He likely hailed from other regions on the Western Continent occupied by the Legion.
The battlefield veteran glanced at the ceiling, then at the bandages wrapping his body, before speaking slowly.
"Where is this...?"
"The field hospital of Defense Sector G53. The frontline medics couldn't handle injuries like yours, so Officer Korwei arranged for a vehicle to transfer you here."
With that, Doctor Rhett made a light joke.
"To be honest, the moment I saw you, I was sure you were a goner. I didn't expect you to surprise me and pull through."
The battlefield veteran nodded in understanding. Without paying much attention to the doctor's latter comment, he relaxed his shoulders and leaned his head back onto the pillow.
This place was roughly twenty kilometers from the front line, relatively far to the rear.
Even so, although he was away from the front line, he was in no hurry to rush back.
In the coming days, no more rookies would be coming to feed him kills.
Tomorrow, Storm Corps would lead a token feint attack, marking the formal conclusion of Operation "Adding Fuel to the Fire."
And after that—
It would be time for Brother Spring's Plan No. 3!
Of the nearly two thousand rookies who had joined the game recently, every single one had died at least once, and some as many as three times!
With all that accumulated death experience, it would be more than enough for them to perform their duties on the battlefield as real soldiers.
"...I've removed all the shrapnel that could be taken out and stitched up the wounds. Is there any other discomfort?" Doctor Rhett asked.
He harbored quite a favorable impression of this soldier named Pangolin. An Awakened who was not a Wilante, yet had achieved combat merits on the battlefield that even the Wilantes looked upon with respect.
For someone who was likewise born into a "servant race," such a heroic story was practically a power fantasy brought to life.
The battlefield veteran closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"My head might hurt a little."
"Probably a mild concussion. Rest well and try to recover quickly."
Saying so, Rhett patted his shoulder and grinned.
"The radio has been playing your story nonstop these past two days. You can't go falling over here."
The battlefield veteran smiled and gave a gentle nod.
Of course he couldn't fall here.
His mission was far from over.
Watching the doctor leave, the veteran relaxed all his muscles and lay flat on the bed, wondering whether he should log off to sleep or stay online counting sheep and daydreaming.
Come to think of it, outside the game it was still the middle of the night, so waking up would be pretty boring anyway.
Besides, Ideal City supposedly had arcade consoles, where one could even play virtual reality games inside a virtual reality game. Recently, Brother Mole's studio had even ported battle royale games over there.
Wait...
Didn't that mean going to Ideal City would allow for round-the-clock, continuous twenty-four-hour gaming without any health issues whatsoever?!
The thought of Fang Chang already living such an "extravagant" life made the battlefield veteran clench his fists.
Dammit!
Compared to that old schemer Spring, that guy was the truly hidden lucky bastard!
Just as the battlefield veteran was lost in wild thoughts, an attractive woman with long dark-brown hair and a striking figure bustled in from outside the tent.
She carried a tray in her hands holding a bowl and spoon, likely food fetched from the mess hall.
Turning his head toward the entrance, the battlefield veteran blurted out instinctively,
"You are?"
Hearing those words, a flustered expression crossed the woman's face. She hurriedly set the tray on the bedside table and stepped up to the bed.
"Do you have amnesia?"
Amnesia?
The battlefield veteran blinked, then gave a sheepish smile.
How could that be?
He had indeed been knocked out for a while and took a bump to the head, but not to the extent of amnesia.
In fact, he could have logged back in two hours ago; he had just wasted time talking trash out of the game.
The only reason he didn't recognize her immediately was simply that he had forgotten her name.
It seemed... to be Penny?
Feeling slightly self-conscious under his "ardent" gaze, Penny didn't shy away, instead curling her lips in a proud little smile.
"The doctor said it's best for you to eat something, so I went to the kitchen and made you some beet soup. Are you hungry? I can feed you."
The battlefield veteran rejoiced inwardly.
Such perks existed?!
Thinking of how this was a fully realistic virtual reality game, even the iron-willed "Pangolin" felt his heart flutter.
This was a welfare drop from the damn developer!
Missing out on this would be spitting on Ah Guang's goodwill, wouldn't it?
Yet the moment he lifted his neck and looked into the bowl, the words "Sounds great" stuck in his throat.
A pitch-black mush floated in the bowl, visibly separated into distinct layers from the liquid beneath it. Specks of green foam drifted across the surface, likely crushed parsley.
Whether judged by color, aroma, or taste, calling this concoction food would convince absolutely no one.
Put it in an organic chemistry lab, however, and it wouldn't look out of place in the slightest.
Seeming to realize the dish didn't look appetizing, Penny's cheeks flushed slightly as she tried to explain.
"It seems I simmered it a bit too long... but it's completely fine to eat."
*A bit too long?*
*It's fucking carbonized, okay?!*
The battlefield veteran coughed dryly.
"I... have a bit of a headache and don't really have an appetite. Could I be left alone for a while?"
He hadn't even served his "chicken soup" yet.
If he got taken out like this, it would be even more humiliating than getting carried away by rookies!
Seemingly deaf to the polite excuse hidden in his words, Penny looked at him with tender concern, let out a soft sigh, and set the bowl on the nightstand.
"Rest then..."
"And remember to eat it while it's hot."
With that, she left the room.
Watching the flap close, the battlefield veteran had barely breathed a sigh of relief when, less than two seconds later, the tent flap was lifted once more.
This time, the person entering was his superior, Korwei, walking over with a look of genuine concern.
"Feeling any better?"
"A bit."
Seeing his prized soldier covered in bandages, Korwei sighed with emotion.
"It's hard to imagine you getting wounded like this."
The battlefield veteran put on a helpless expression.
Even if it was a budget version, a rocket was still a rocket.
In the face of sufficient explosive yield, all technique and experience were just empty flourishes.
Korwei suddenly noticed the tray on the nightstand and the dark bowl of soup.
"What's this?"
The battlefield veteran coughed softly.
"Miss Penny made it for me in the kitchen... supposedly called beet soup? But I don't have much of an appetite. Would you like to try it?"
"Penny made it for you? You lucky dog. She's quite popular on the front line; plenty of boys consider her their dream girl." Korwei looked at him in surprise, then wiggled his brows with a grin as he picked up the bowl. "I'll taste it for you."
The battlefield veteran was about to tell him not to force it—after all, if Korwei died from this, he would truly have no backer left in the Legion.
However, Korwei's hands moved alongside his brain, beating him to the punch. Scooping up a spoonful of the pitch-black soup with the spoon from the tray, he shoved it straight into his mouth.
The battlefield veteran stared at him, dumbstruck.
Just when he thought the man would spit it out, he saw Korwei's eyes suddenly mist over with... tears?
"...The taste of home."
Sniffling, he shoveled another spoonful into his mouth, mumbling with deep emotion.
"Damn it, the cooks in Sunset Province don't understand this delicacy at all... I haven't tasted this in five or six years!"
With that, he brought the bowl directly to his lips, wolfing it down with the spoon so eagerly that he didn't even notice the coal-like broth clinging to his beard.
The battlefield veteran stared at him in disbelief, unable to hold back his question.
"Wait, isn't beet soup supposed to be red?"
Setting down the bowl, Korwei froze for a moment.
"Red? Are beets in Jinchuan Province red?"
The battlefield veteran swallowed hard and asked apprehensively,
"Don't tell me they're black where you're from?"
Korwei nodded with a subtle expression.
"Though the layers and texture are usually more even, and the pepper flavor richer, the color is basically like this..."
Battlefield Guy: "..."
Eating such revolting food every day.
He almost felt bad for these big-nosed Wilantes.
Having finished it all in the blink of an eye, Korwei stared at the empty bowl in his hands before snapping back to reality, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Uh, sorry, I finished the delicious meal Miss Penny made for you... I'll go ask her to make another bowl for you."
The battlefield veteran blurted out hurriedly,
"No need! Just bring me a couple of roasted ox legs!"
If that woman found out he had an appetite, his undercover career would be completely ruined.
Korwei paused.
"You're wounded so badly. Can you digest something like that?"
The battlefield veteran replied without hesitation,
"No problem! I only injured my legs and arms, not my stomach. More protein means faster recovery... the doctor said so."
Korwei pressed no further and nodded.
"Alright, I'll have someone bring some over shortly."
Watching Korwei turn and leave the tent, the battlefield veteran let out a sigh of relief. Raising his bandage-wrapped arm, he wiped his forehead and cursed under his breath.
"Fuck... If I knew, I wouldn't have woken up."
...
That evening.
The official *Wasteland Online* forum.
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "The beets in this game are red, right???"
Makabazi: "Yeah, aren't they? I saw them at Brown Farm."
Shangshan Dalaohu: "+1, though I've seen purple varieties too."
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Then why the hell is the Legion's beet soup black!"
Tengteng: "What kind of eldritch cooking is that..."
Yaya: "Horrifying."
Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: "Maybe they mutated."
Fang Chang: "True. If animals can mutate, there's no reason plants can't... By the way, why are you asking this out of the blue?"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Heh, it's kind of embarrassing to say... A pretty girl made me a bowl of beet soup. That pitch-black look scared the crap out of me. Good to know it's not poisonous!"
Ye Shi: "Holy crap, look at him flexing!"
Construction Site Boy and Bricks: "Damn you! Just wait, I'm bringing a team to bombard you with rockets!"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Hahaha! Fire away, do whatever you want! I'm not on the front line anymore! (smug)"
Commander Spring: "Alright, don't just indulge yourself. Plan No. 3 is about to launch. You'd better plan your escape route so you don't actually drop your gold coins to the rookies. (side-eye)"
Lao Bai: "Exactly. Come home when you have time; you haven't been back in a while. (grin)"
Ye Shi: "Brother, you haven't saved your progress in almost two months, right? (funny)"
I'm the Darkest: "Dammit, now I want to put a bounty on Pangolin."
In Debt God: "Hahaha, +1! Mostly because I've never seen someone drop a whole level. (shy)"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Holy shit! Be human, you bastards!"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "(evil smirk)"
...
Dawn City North Airfield.
H-1 "Dragonfly" transport planes sporting desert-camo paint were parked along the runway. Porters wearing exoskeletons pushed forklifts, loading crates of packaged supplies into the cargo holds.
Although Enterprise's Orca transport planes offered high flight speeds and all-terrain deployment, their transport capacity was ultimately limited.
The supply route from the East Coast to the Alliance was equally vital, and Enterprise could not spare any more Orcas for this war. Consequently, the transport route from Dawn City to the front line had to be handled by the Alliance itself.
A journey of over a thousand kilometers exceeded the cruising radius of the H-1 transports, forcing the No. 81 Steel Mill to replace the batteries in some of the H-1s with volatile metallic hydrogen.
At the same time, Chu Guang contacted the Lion Kingdom, requesting that they coordinate with the Alliance's construction teams to expand the airport north of Lion City and use it as a logistical relay station.
Only then was the air corridor from Dawn City to the outermost front line successfully established.
The day of the decisive battle drew near.
Every department and every person in the Alliance was like a wound-up gear, bustling with activity for the impending confrontation...
"Be good, listen to me. I'll be back in a few days."
"Ee-woo!"
"When I get back, I'll give you sweets, okay?"
"Ee-woo!"
"...Fuck!"
"Fuck!"
"Cough—don't copy that."
Beside the hangar.
Luo Yu looked at Yu clinging to him, caught between laughter and tears as he tried to explain that he was only leaving for a few days and would return soon.
However—
Yu maintained an expression of deep reluctance, several tentacles tightly gripping his arm, refusing to let go no matter what.
Luo Yu felt a growing headache.
This fellow clearly understood what he was saying!
Noticing the commotion, Mosquito walked over with his hands behind his head and teased with a laugh,
"Stuck together again? Why don't you just take it to the front line?"
Luo Yu rolled his eyes.
"Piss off! I fly planes. What the hell am I going to do bringing it along?"
Mosquito chuckled.
"Fly together... Though now that you mention it, we don't seem to have a twin-seater jet yet. I'll see about tinkering with one later."
Luo Yu couldn't resist reminding him,
"It weighs two hundred kilos."
Mosquito blinked.
"Holy crap... That might be tough. Taking it along means carrying two fewer aerial bombs."
Yu: "Fuck!"
Luo Yu covered his face in exasperation.
After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to calm Yu down. Although the creature's sudden obedience felt a bit bizarre, he didn't have time to ponder it deeply.
With Plan No. 3 about to commence, the Alliance would soon launch a general offensive against the joint forces of the Legion and the Falcon Kingdom occupying Oasis No. 3, delivering the final blow to their exhausted remnants.
Yet a dying camel was still bigger than a horse. Despite severe supply shortages, the Legion still possessed a Sabre fighter capable of posing a lethal threat to the Alliance's air forces.
To cover the five Cloud Dragonfly ornithopters assigned to the Skeleton Corps, he had to pilot a modified Lingyun fighter to the front line.
Even if he couldn't shoot it down,
he had to tie it down by any means necessary to buy time for the ground forces!
Following Mosquito toward the hangar, Luo Yu noticed airport workers hauling ridiculously oversized crates into the cargo bays. Curiously, he asked,
"What are those planes hauling?"
Mosquito smirked proudly.
"'Fat Man' rockets! The latest product from Goblin Tech, known formally as gas cylinder bombs!"
Luo Yu froze, staring blankly at the nearby warehouse.
"Holy fuck?! In there... they're all those?"
Mosquito nodded proudly.
"You bet!"
Caught between laughter and tears, Luo Yu said,
"Doesn't the army already have 155s? Why did you produce so many of those things?"
Mosquito cleared his throat and explained,
"While we're equipped with plenty of 155mm artillery, our allies haven't gotten their hands on such advanced weapons yet. Our respected Administrator couldn't bear to see these natives still fighting wars with medieval muzzle-loading smoothbores, so he had me develop a cheap and effective weapon to sell to them."
Luo Yu couldn't resist retorting,
"And so you fobbed them off with this junk?"
"How can you call it fobbing them off!" Mosquito glared at him indignantly, speaking with complete conviction. "They actively requested to order it themselves!"
Disbelief was written all over Luo Yu's face.
Who on earth would spend money on something that had zero technical sophistication and was useless for anything other than sheer raw blast yield?!
Any small workshop could churn them out; couldn't they just make their own?!
Reading the skepticism on his face, Mosquito chuckled and continued smugly,
"Remember when Storm Corps and Death Corps were using Pangolin to test the rookies on the front line a while back? An escorting soldier from the Lion Kingdom happened to be a royal guard of Prince Winter. He witnessed the power of the gas cylinder bombs with his own eyes and couldn't take his gaze off them!"
Luo Yu was stunned.
"That works too...?"
"Of course! What better place to market weapons than the battlefield?" Mosquito proclaimed pompously. "Especially since this thing is easy to set up and simple to operate. A single guy riding a little donkey pulling a cart can deploy it. Once he understood the might of the Alliance's weaponry, Prince Winter hurried to our outpost that very night, found our commander, and placed an order on the spot for five thousand of them!"
Luo Yu: "...How much per unit?"
Mosquito waved a hand casually.
"Not expensive. Just eight thousand silver coins."
Luo Yu: "*Pfft!*"
Good grief!
Eight thousand!
A miner's exoskeleton only cost two thousand, and scraping together another two thousand silver coins was enough to buy a Type 5 Light Cavalry!
Talk about highway robbery!
Seeing the look on Luo Yu's face, Mosquito immediately realized he had bragged a bit too hard. Worried that Luo Yu might say something reckless on the forums, he quickly added an explanation.
"Ahem... Don't go thinking I'm making a fortune here. The transaction price was negotiated by the Administrator, and the arms sale was conducted by the Alliance. We only took on the production order to make some pocket money; the profit isn't as crazy as you think, alright?"
Luo Yu rolled his eyes.
"Like hell I believe you!"
Regardless of whether he believed it or not, Mosquito coughed and continued,
"...Anyway, the technical threshold isn't as low as you think. It still costs a little bit."
"Thanks to the combat evaluations written by Comrade Pangolin and those rookies, our engineers upgraded it slightly. They added thickeners, high-energy fuel, and azide compounds to the formula, boosting the yield by roughly thirty percent. It also inflicts continuous burning effects, which works wonderfully against targets hiding in bunkers!"
"Heheh."
As he spoke, even Mosquito felt a little embarrassed and gave a bashful grin.
Luo Yu stared at him speechlessly for a long while.
Good heavens.
These veteran players kept outdoing each other in utter inhumanity!
He had originally thought Brother Battlefield was merely acting as a military drill instructor—hard work, sure, but not excessively difficult. Who knew he had only been seeing the tip of the iceberg?
Behind his back, weapon experiments, arms promotion, and all sorts of other schemes had been thoroughly arranged for him.
Luo Yu suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for Brother Battlefield.
For that guy to survive this long under the guise of Pangolin...
It was truly damn tough...
Chapter 463