"...These guys never think of me when they're having fun, but the moment trouble crops up, I'm the first one they run to. I'm not your damn babysitter!"
Inside the captain's quarters aboard the *Heart of Steel*.
Sitting behind his desk, Chu Guang couldn't help but roll his eyes as he looked at the report submitted by Brother Edge regarding "How to Handle Surrendered Clone Soldiers."
Whether in the world before his transmigration or the world after, history had virtually no precedent for capturing entire organized formations of mentally deficient troops.
Following the standard practice of most wasteland survivor settlements, the simplest solution would have been to bury them and be done with it.
Yet the Alliance obviously couldn't do that.
A disciplined organization had to abide by rules. The proper approach was to establish a clear set of regulations and execute according to established policy going forward.
Chu Guang had intended to ask Xiao Qi for her opinion, but her attention latched onto a rather strange detail.
"Huh? Master wants to find some fun?" Her voice carried a trace of surprise, though laced with an odd sense of reasonable understanding.
Nearly choking on his own saliva, Chu Guang coughed and said, "I was just using an analogy... Don't go fixating on weird things. If you have spare computing power, why not help me brainstorm a solution?"
Xiao Qi, perched on the desk, propped her chin in her hands and put on an expression of deep contemplation.
"Hmm... Xiao Qi doesn't know either. There are no reference precedents in the database. But... does Master consider them human?"
"More or less, even if they're mentally deficient," Chu Guang answered casually.
Xiao Qi continued, "Then how does the Alliance usually handle the mentally disabled?"
"They're categorized alongside the physically disabled—placed under the care of the Refugee Home, or assigned designated guardians..." At that point, Chu Guang's eyes lit up slightly.
*Right.*
Just find someone to manage them.
After a moment's thought, Chu Guang said, "...Clone prisoners will be placed under the guardianship and discipline of their former direct commanding officers, laboring in the POW camp in squads of ten. If one person violates discipline, the whole squad shares the punishment. If the work quota isn't met, the squad leader bears primary responsibility."
In essence, this meant stripping the former ten-man squad of its assistant squad leaders, standard-bearers, horn blowers, and similar billets, leaving the decurions to supervise these mentally stunted, violence-prone clone captives.
The baseline sentence for Alliance POWs started at ten years.
Unless the Legion intended to ransom them back, most clone soldiers wouldn't even survive long enough to see the day of their release. This neatly bypassed any headache over how to handle the shock these special individuals might pose to Alliance society and the resultant social problems.
Chu Guang spent ten minutes dictating additional details to Xiao Qi, including precautions against decurions intentionally letting those burdens die to shirk responsibility, along with plugging potential loopholes in the specific clauses.
Managed properly, these clone soldiers could serve as decent manual labor, whether in the fields or the mines.
While they couldn't handle overly complex tasks, simple, repetitive physical labor shouldn't be much of an issue.
As for living standards, they would tentatively be set at "subsistence level," the same as other prisoners of war.
"Xiao Qi, got all that down?"
Perched on the desk, Xiao Qi nodded her little head in utter admiration. "Mmhmm! Every last word!"
A faint smile touched the corner of Chu Guang's lips as he leaned back in his office chair and stretched.
Though today's work had only lasted ten minutes, he had certainly earned his rest.
There were no new changes on the frontline; everything was proceeding methodically.
Just as Chu Guang was considering whether to boot up a couple rounds of *Elden Ring* to unwind, Xiao Qi suddenly raised her head as though receiving a signal.
"Oh, Master! New message from the Foreign Affairs Department—it's about Enterprise."
Hearing news from Enterprise made Chu Guang instinctively tense up.
A large part of why he had rushed to the frontline was precisely to evade their envoys.
Those old friends from the East Coast were prompt only when handing over money; in every other matter, they dragged their feet endlessly.
The Supreme Council had already passed the resolution to support the Alliance, yet they still hadn't approved sending Orca transport planes to the front.
Furthermore, everyone had previously agreed on driving the Legion completely out of Sunset Province to eliminate future troubles once and for all. Yet now, with the campaign only halfway through and an advantage finally secured, the council was already debating whether to use POWs to open ceasefire negotiations with the Legion.
Such things were negotiable, of course.
Chu Guang kept a clear head regarding what was merely a means and what constituted the ultimate objective.
The Alliance's long-term development ultimately relied on farming, industry, and infrastructure. War served at best as a catalyst; peace was the lasting solution.
Even so, the proper timing for negotiations would be after crippling the Legion's strategic disposition in Sunset Province, thoroughly gutting the ambitions and capabilities of their Eastern Expansionist faction.
If possible, Chu Guang truly wished his old friends on the East Coast would just stick to sending money and keep quiet on the rest.
"What did they say?"
"They said a reporter from the *Zhiyuan Post* wants to interview General Soft."
Chu Guang let out a sigh of relief, his tone softening. "Wasn't MacLaren enough?"
Xiao Qi: "Hmm... Xiao Qi thinks it might be because the previous interview with General MacLaren was such a hit, so they want to interview a few more generals."
Chu Guang blinked. "A hit?"
Imitating Chu Guang's usual habit, Xiao Qi flicked her index finger in the air. A holographic projection promptly appeared above the digital stylus.
It was a news broadcast that had aired in Ideal City.
Captured and recorded by student Fang Chang.
On the screen, General MacLaren clenched his fists, his face dark with indignation and fury.
"...I'll say it again! I did not lose to the Alliance! I lost to the despicable Enterprise! If not for Enterprise backing the Alliance, there's no way I would have lost that battle in River Valley Province! And certainly not the one in southern Sunset Province!"
In stark contrast to General MacLaren's indignant fury, the reporter sitting opposite him looked like he was about to burst out laughing, biting his lips in an effort to maintain a solemn expression.
The moment MacLaren finished, the reporter pressed eagerly, "So in your view, you actually lost to Enterprise? But that's not how we see it. Whether in River Valley Province or southern Sunset Province, victory was achieved through the relentless struggle of survivors resisting the Legion's oppression—"
"Nonsense!" MacLaren's eyes widened as he glared daggers at the reporter. "When did we ever oppress the local survivors?! We never even reached Oasis No. 4! Valiant fighting? What a joke! Did they build those tanks themselves?"
Reporter: "Uh, actually, yes... though we did provide some components, like the Type 60 railgun."
"It's that damned railgun! Without it, the Alliance couldn't have penetrated the armor of the Conqueror 10! And those ornithopters—without those things, there's no way I'd have lost to a bunch of horse-riding savages! Cowards who hide behind others pulling strings! If you have any guts, deploy your forces on an open field and fight us honorably!"
MacLaren cursed relentlessly.
Yet he failed to notice that the angrier he grew, the more delighted the reporter across from him became.
Particularly upon seeing MacLaren lose his composure, the reporter simply cut himself out of the frame, centering MacLaren on screen so he could shout his grievances louder.
The interview soon drew to a close.
Having obtained all the material he wanted, the reporter wrapped up the segment.
"Thank you for participating in today's interview... Venting aside, though, I think you still owe Enterprise some gratitude. If not for the pressure applied by the Supreme Council, you might already be dead in an Alliance coal mine or swinging from a gallows."
MacLaren's face froze. "In your dreams!"
A warrior could be killed, but not humiliated.
Make him thank the enemy? He'd rather die!
The reporter showed no offense at his defiance toward Enterprise; instead, the camera zoomed in for a close-up of his rigid, indignant expression, bringing the segment to an end.
Watching MacLaren desperately clinging to his pride on screen, Chu Guang was briefly stunned, then broke into a wry smile.
*Incredible.*
No wonder Enterprise's reporters wanted to interview more generals.
Not a single one of those officers battered by the Alliance would admit defeat at the hands of the Alliance. All insisted they had merely succumbed to atrocious logistics and Enterprise's high-tech gear.
Deep down, they understood that a weapon or two couldn't alter the course of a war. Yet admitting defeat to Enterprise due to lack of preparation was far more palatable than admitting they were bested by what they considered "savages."
At least both sides were legitimate heirs to the Human Alliance.
Enterprise had become the surrendering officers' last shred of dignity.
The reporter in the broadcast had clearly exploited that, deliberately baiting and provoking MacLaren to elicit the desired responses.
Putting himself in their shoes, Chu Guang understood why such interviews brought endless satisfaction to the citizens of Ideal City.
Lately, front-line war coverage had undoubtedly generated enormous buzz across Ideal City's Endpoint Cloud.
After less than two minutes of contemplation, Chu Guang said, "Approved. Let the *Zhiyuan Post* reporter go."
Keeping their neighbors entertained carried no downside; at the very least, it would erode any public support for the council's appeasement proposals.
Gazing at the interview replay on the holographic window, an idea struck Chu Guang. Turning toward Xiao Qi, who had just nodded acknowledgment, he added:
"Set the interview location near Hill 330, and let them interview those clone soldiers while they're at it... No need to stage anything. Just let them see those simpletons."
A lifespan burning away at eight times the normal rate.
Truly a monstrous technology!
Those simpletons—incapable of anything beyond eating, relieving themselves, and brawling—would certainly tug at the heartstrings of Ideal City's comfortable citizens.
The generous, selfless Alliance could offer to shelter these "poor souls" swept up in the tides of war, giving their misplaced sympathies an outlet.
So long as they were willing to shell out a modest sum of credits, of course.
That way, the clone soldiers would not only provide labor for the Alliance's wasteland reconstruction, but also secure resettlement subsidies from Enterprise.
A double win.
The more he considered it, the more brilliant the scheme appeared. Chu Guang smirked, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Damn, this game designer is truly ruthless."
***
At the front lines.
After a brief rest at Hill 330, the Skeleton Corps resumed their march under Brother Mole's lead.
Marshal Yade of the Honey Badger Kingdom remained behind with the Restoration Army and fifty captured Conqueror-series tanks, preparing to coordinate with the Death Corps to reclaim all of Oasis No. 3.
During the two days spent waiting for rear supply trucks to arrive, the Death Corps holding Hill 330 captured nearly four full millennia, totaling over five thousand prisoners.
Most were clone troopers, alongside a minority of Wilante officers and Retinue Army promotions.
To manage this massive influx of prisoners, the Alliance had to detach a thousand-man unit from the Lion Kingdom Army, corralling the captives temporarily within a nearby mountain ravine.
Beyond the mass surrender of troops, herdsmen from neighboring villages and settlements cautiously approached the encampment.
The Legion had previously conscripted large numbers of able-bodied laborers from the surrounding area, forcing them to construct frontline fortifications.
Now, the Legion was broken.
Some came searching for relatives, some seeking vengeance, while others came merely out of curiosity or to witness the spectacle.
Instead of finding grateful locals bearing food and wine, the players found themselves saddled with a horde of headaches.
Completely unable to parse their heavily accented Human Alliance dialect, Brother Edge wearily dumped the problem onto Marshal Yade of the Honey Badger Kingdom.
When the prince appeared before them, several hundred herdsmen gathered outside the camp immediately dropped to their knees with a thud.
Looking upon Yade's weathered face, the elderly man leading them had tears welling in his eyes.
"Your Highness... you've finally returned!"
Seeing the trembling elder before him, a flicker of guilt crossed Yade's face as he helped him up.
"I am sorry for all you have suffered."
The old man cast a wary glance toward the soldiers posted at the camp gates and asked, "Those people... who are they?"
Yade smiled. "They are from the Alliance—they are our friends!"
A ripple of whispered murmurs spread among the herdsmen. The old man looked enlightened for a moment, but worry quickly crept back into his expression.
"The Alliance... the one from southern River Valley Province?"
Yade nodded. "Yes. They extended a helping hand in our hour of greatest peril. It is entirely thanks to their aid that we were able to return here."
The old man looked uneasily at the troops, hesitating before speaking in a low voice:
"Inviting outsiders into the desert's affairs is never wise. The Spirit of the Sand Sea teaches us to beware threats from beyond... It will bring disaster."
Yade patiently explained, "Events have already run their course. The Falcon Kingdom sided with the Legion first and invaded our lands under their backing. Our own strength alone could never defeat them... We had no choice but to seek aid beyond the sands."
The elder asked quietly, "What if the Alliance becomes the next Legion? They are already plenty powerful. Who can guarantee they won't force us to do things against our will, just like the Legion did?"
"The Alliance military is a disciplined force. They will not do such things; their Administrator gave me his word. Moreover, from what I witnessed firsthand in the Lion Kingdom, they truly establish order and help locals rebuild their homes... And that is precisely what our people, plunged into chaos, need most right now."
Yade placed a hand on the old man's shoulder, meeting the wrinkled face with earnest eyes.
"Please, trust me."
***
While Yade soothed the local populace, an Orca transport plane touched down smoothly in a clearing near the center of the camp.
A man whose attire and demeanor clashed entirely with both the battlefield and the wasteland stepped out of the cabin first.
A recording drone hovered behind him. The instant his feet hit the ground, he eagerly grabbed a nearby soldier and asked:
"Where is Soft? Where is the general you captured?"
The caught player froze, staring at him in total confusion. "Who the hell are you?"
Other players gathered curiously, examining the strange NPC.
Noticing the bewildered look on the soldier's face, the man slapped his forehead with an apologetic grin and hastily produced a business card.
"Wu Kai'an! Reporter for the *Zhiyuan Post*! Word of another victory reached us, so I rushed here from Ideal City hoping to interview your opponent..."
*Holy crap!*
*A reporter from Ideal City?!*
Glancing at the translation on his VM screen, the player's eyes brightened. He grinned and said:
"What's the point of interviewing a bunch of losers? You'd be way better off interviewing me!"
Unable to decipher the slang, Wu Kai'an blinked. "Uh, and you are?"
"Name's Fawai Kuangtu! Death Corps, Strength build, shotgun specialist. Too bad our bastard commander didn't give me a chance... Damn, just thinking about it pisses me off! I pedaled a tricycle all day till the wheels were smoking, and the fight was over before I even caught a glimpse of an enemy!"
The player rambled on, growing increasingly animated with every sentence.
Yet Wu Kai'an stood there completely baffled.
In every three sentences of Human Alliance language, the guy jammed ten words of incomprehensible gibberish. Wu Kai'an hadn't understood a single term from the very start.
When the man finally wound down, Wu Kai'an asked timidly:
"What does *fa-wai-kuang-tu* mean?"
"It means—"
"Ahem."
A cough cut the rookie player off. Lao Bai, who had walked over to receive the arrival, reached out and took the business card from the reporter's hand, addressing the bewildered man:
"You're here to interview General Soft, right? He was transported to Hill 330, seventeen kilometers from here. I'll assign someone to escort you over."
The Administrator had just called him with the details, including setting the interview site at Hill 330.
With that, Lao Bai turned to Bai Gei Dai Ju, who had accompanied him.
"Please take him over."
"You got it, Boss!" Bai Gei Dai Ju snapped to attention, then turned to the reporter with a smile. "This way, please."
Relieved to finally encounter someone capable of normal conversation, Wu Kai'an smiled and nodded. "Much obliged!"
Watching the pair walk off, Fawai Kuangtu grumbled, "Damn it! Why didn't you let me do the interview?"
"I just saved your hide. No need to thank me—go read the player handbook when you get back."
Lao Bai cast a pitying glance at the overly excited rookie, leaving him scratching his head, and walked straight toward the Orca transport parked in the camp's center.
Looking up at the pilot inside the cockpit, he offered a greeting: "Hello. I'm the commander of the Burning Corps."
The pilot chewing gum instantly perked up, swinging his feet off the console and popping open the small round observation port.
"Burning Corps? *The* Burning Corps?"
Lao Bai offered a modest smile. "Not sure which one you're thinking of, but there's only one Burning Corps in the Alliance."
The pilot beamed. "An honor, truly! I heard about you guys ages ago! That battle royale game blowing up on the Endpoint Cloud just dropped a skin inspired by you... Ah, almost forgot, you probably don't know what a battle royale is."
Lao Bai stared back blankly as the pilot rambled on. "There's a skin?"
"You have no idea how famous you are over there! Dammit, I should've brought a pen!" The pilot scratched the back of his head, grinning as he stuck his right hand out the port. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Sun Ze, pilot with Enterprise Armed Forces, Aviation Division."
"Lao Bai."
Lao Bai shook his hand, released it, and cleared his throat. "...We can catch up later. Right now, we have an urgent mission that requires your aircraft."
"Understood! Your Administrator already gave us a heads-up. Picking up a pilot who bailed out, right? Climb aboard."
Pulling his hand back inside, the pilot threw a thumbs-up toward the cabin, then added eagerly, "How do you guys plan to disembark later? Parachute jump?"
Lao Bai coughed. "Just land normally, please..."
Why jump out if they could land smoothly?
He wasn't crazy.
Upon hearing his answer, however, the pilot wore a look of palpable disappointment, as if deprived of a great spectacle.
Tapping his VM screen, Lao Bai quickly summoned Ye Shi, Kuang Feng, Jieyan, and the rest of the Burning Corps squad.
Twenty players in total, representing the absolute peak fighting power of the Burning Corps.
Factoring in one suit of power armor, nine sets of Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry," and ten sets of Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeletons, their combined firepower rivaled a reinforced company.
To ensure nothing went amiss, the Administrator had instructed them to bring their best gear.
Facing the assembled team, Lao Bai engaged the external speaker on his power armor and spoke:
"...Two pieces of news."
"The bad news is our ace pilot found a transport plane, so the search operation south of Oasis No. 8 is scrubbed. The good news is the salvaged plane has a dead battery and sits north of the Golden Lizard Kingdom, so command assigned a new mission, handing the rescue task over to us from the Goblin Corps."
"The mission is straightforward: ride with Enterprise's transport on a wide detour north to recover Luo Yu and his baby. If circumstances permit, we'll also recover that runaway Hawk... It holds special research materials that our white-haired NPC lady is very interested in. We'll do our best to bring it back for her."
Eyeing the top-tier loadouts on his comrades, Brother Edge, who had been watching from the sidelines, asked curiously:
"Isn't this roster a bit extravagant?"
The Burning Corps' heaviest hitters were all gathered here.
Was it really necessary to go this far just to retrieve someone from outside the combat zone?
Sensing his confusion, Lao Bai replied with a grin:
"Just playing it safe. God only knows what lurks on the edges of the Wandering Marsh. Luo Yu said there's plenty of alien variants out there."
Ye Shi chimed in with a chuckle, "Plus one! Besides, we get to hitch a ride straight back to the frontline airfield afterward."
As airborne infantry, the Burning Corps belonged on standby at an airfield, ready to deploy rapidly wherever the fighting grew desperate.
Rumor had it the Lion Kingdom Army had run into tough resistance to the northwest, so their next deployment was likely just around the corner.
Compared to idling in the back of a truck for two or three days, taking a transport plane offered a vastly superior gameplay experience.
Just then, In Debt God came limping over on crutches, sighing as he looked at the assembled squad.
"Why don't you guys take me with you too?"
Ye Shi asked with a smirk, "What's wrong? The front line not fun enough?"
Scratching his rear with his right hand, In Debt God cursed through gritted teeth:
"Fun? It's so damn fun I can barely stand it!"
Chapter 473