The Battle of Ten Peaks Mountain!

On the *Wasteland Online* forum: Level 99 Scavenger: "?" Jieyan: "?" Tail: "⊙ω⊙?" Wo Xiang Jingjing: "?" Level 99 Scavenger: "?????" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Pfft, hahahahaha!" Level 99 Scavenger: "Holy shit! What are you laughing at?! (angry) (angry)" Ye Shi: "Well, you're not explaining anything. (funny)" Elaina: "Though I can probably guess... anyway, my condolences to Scavenger. (funny)" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Does this even take guessing? (funny)" Elven King Fugui: "Sigh, this game is just way too realistic. (funny)" Level 99 Scavenger: "@#%&!" *** At the foot of Ten Peaks Mountain. Wisps of steam curled upward from the riverbed. The boiling inferno had struck like a sun plunging onto the earth, instantly vaporizing a stretch of river channel nearly a hundred meters wide! The lush green reed marshes lining both banks had been reduced entirely to plant ash, which drifted lazily amidst the dense smoke of the explosion. A colossal crater was stamped directly into the center of the hundred-meter-wide riverbed, and the blast's shockwave had swept as far as a kilometer away! As for the mutants who had originally stood there, they were blown apart so thoroughly that not even ash remained. Only the wretched few collapsed near the riverbanks still had enough breath left to whimper and wail. Yet even that was fleeting. A mutant force of a thousand had seen half its ranks annihilated in a split second without warning! And those short runts who had charged alongside the hulking greenskins had suffered countless casualties! Hiding behind a jutting rock halfway up the mountainside and overlooking the battlefield, Qiangren Suonan wore a stunned expression. If someone told him that had been gouged out by a comet, he would have believed them. Though it wasn't a nuclear weapon, the destructive power didn't seem much different from a low-yield tactical nuke. Judging by the depth of that crater, its penetrative power against hardened fortifications might even exceed that of conventional nuclear weapons! After all, while yield and damage effects were positively correlated, they weren't entirely equivalent; one had to account for damage type, transmission medium, blast radius, and energy attenuation. Watching the crater slowly fill with river water, he silently traced a self-invented symbol of the Great Horned Rat Cult across his chest, muttering under his breath, "Sweet mother of god..." A half-second prayer for Scavenger... *** The little rat crouched halfway up the mountain wasn't the only one peeking at the screen; there was also a research vessel hovering over a dozen kilometers away. Looking at the pillar of thick smoke and gas rising hundreds of meters into the sky, Yang Kai, seated in the pilot's chair, gave a quiet click of his tongue, an unimpressed sneer playing on his face. "And here I thought it was something formidable... barbarian toys." It was just as he had expected. The charge in that 902mm shell was likely modified from an aerospace cruiser's armored torpedo. In space warfare, the lethality of nuclear weapons was rather limited. Especially against deflector shields that effectively deflected neutron radiation, a nuke was left with little more than pitiful thermal radiation effects. Therefore, when the People's Federation designed weapons for its fleet, the warheads of explosives and guided weapons primarily utilized chemical explosives carrying oxidizers, boasting high expansion coefficients and ultra-high detonation velocities. Such weapons were primarily deployed against densely packed secondary entities or to execute orbital bombardment missions. Presumably, after the Wilante inherited the relevant technology, they had tweaked it according to their own thinking, producing a contraption where backwardness and advancement coexisted. If one called it disgraceful, the explosive charge in the warhead was genuinely formidable. Yet if one called it advanced, the launching mechanism was something ancients from the late Industrial Era or early Atomic Era could have built. Perhaps there was only one scenario in which these Wilante had any hope of conquering the world. That was by dragging things out for another two centuries. Waiting until Ideal City collapsed in its drunken stupor, until the Academy completed all preparations and abandoned this star system, until all the vaults left across this land from the old era died out, leaving not a single relic of the Era of Prosperity on this continent. By then, with their massive industrial and warmaking capacities, the Wilante might swiftly unify the entire planet, rebuild a militaristic, xenophobic New People's Federation centered on the Wilante ethnic core, and declare an end to the Wasteland Era... Such a possibility indeed existed in Dr. Conclusion's simulations, though the exact probability remained unknown. After gathering the blast data, Yang Kai braved severe latency and packet loss to connect through the communication repeaters deployed along the route, finally establishing a link to the Academy headquarters located in the Wandering Marsh. "...As planned, the Alliance's vanguard has made contact with the Church of the Torch's vanguard. At present, the outcome of the battle is not in doubt. Barring any surprises, they will be able to conclude the engagement within two hours." After a brief pause, a calm, solemn voice came through the communication channel. "Has the Church of the Torch revealed their trump card?" He was the Academy's Chief Technology Officer, the supreme leader of the Academy and the head of the Science Committee, the direct superior of the four Department Directors, and directly answerable to Dr. Conclusion. One could even say that in Dr. Conclusion's absence, he served as the projection of Dr. Conclusion's will. "There are some cybernetically modified mutants, as well as degraded variants—probably new creations cooked up by Torch... if such things can even be called trump cards," Yang Kai reported respectfully, his humble posture resembling that of an obedient student. "Never underestimate our opponents or competitors," the Chief Technology Officer said meaningfully, having caught the thread of disdain hidden behind that deferential facade. After a pause, he continued, "This is an invaluable experimental opportunity. I need you to gather all data you can collect, whether on our personnel or the other participating parties of the allied forces. Be it the Legion, the Enterprise... or the Alliance." Many years ago, even before the Legion's expeditionary force had launched its eastern campaign, the Academy—whose tentacles reached into every corner of the Central Continent—had already set its sights on Torch. And the deeper their understanding of the organization grew, the more wary of it they became. If the Enlightenment Society merely exploited the darker aspects of human nature in bluecoats and their despair toward the wasteland, then Torch exploited all idealists' despair regarding human nature itself. Their corruption lay not only in technology, but also in the vast breadth of their influence; even short-sighted wastelanders could become their potential subjects for assimilation. If the Wilante prevailed in this contest, it would merely represent human civilization shifting from materialist egalitarian thought toward militaristic xenophobia or authoritarianism. Yet if these fanatics won the race, the entire planet would likely become a hive mind akin to 'Gaia', and humanity would achieve what they termed 'ascension', transforming into a new species possessing a unified consciousness and formidable physical bodies. What truly sent chills down one's spine was that something similar might have occurred on planet Gaia in the past. After all, according to research literature provided by the colonies, before the Gaia consciousness formed, a highly developed pre-FTL civilization was suspected to have existed on that planet, comparable to the mid-period of the People's Federation's Era of Prosperity... In other words, if the various wasteland factions continued their chaotic infighting, it was not impossible for these zealots to emerge victorious! Weighing the risks against the benefits, the Academy had executed a series of strategic maneuvers to curb Torch's expansion, including covertly nurturing local survivor factions in River Valley Province and guiding the Alliance's southward march. According to the original plan, the local survivor forces of River Valley Province would launch an offensive against the Church of the Torch in Year 214 or 215 of the Wasteland Era. However, due to the introduction of numerous variables—including the opening of Vault 404, the Pioneer incident, the resurgence of the Legion's eastern expansionists, the Bone Chewers' turmoil, and the Battle of Sunset—the original plan had veered off its initial trajectory. Not only was the Academy, which had intended only indirect intervention, directly dragged into the fray, but the three major factions that had previously feuded among themselves were driven back into an alliance. It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse. Yet for the Academy, it provided at least a window to observe. It allowed them to see just how much the other factions outside the Wandering Marsh had developed over the past century and a half... Hearing the Chief Technology Officer's instructions, Yang Kai's expression turned grave. He instantly swept aside any lingering arrogance and said with utmost deference, "Understood." *** Just as Qiangren Suonan was scurrying to the official website to 'comfort'—or rather, laugh at—Scavenger, Gray, having just charged to the foot of the mountain, wore a face full of bewilderment and terror. A dark, surging horde of fully a thousand had poured down from Mount Fu's peak. Yet by the time he reached the base of the mountain, the hundreds of brothers who had descended first seemed to have vanished into thin air. Blood was baked black, and severed limbs lay scattered all around like dried kindling. Even the Wei River appeared noticeably narrower—and considerably deeper... Swallowing a gulp of scalding saliva, forcing down the blood and fear that had welled up to his mouth, the panic on Gray's face was quickly supplanted by burning fury. His exposed gums flared as crimson as fresh blood. *Humans!* *They must all die!* Watching the shadows drawing closer in the distance, he threw his head back and let out a bellow to banish his fear. "Spread out! Charge!" Though more than half their numbers had been killed or wounded, these brutes were mutants, after all. Their flesh and blood were the byproduct of 'Gestalt Organisms', an unfinished Singularity-level technology! The Church of the Torch had further modified them, granting them formidable strength that surpassed their original organic frames! Clutching his shotgun, Gray spearheaded the charge, his steel-plated feet stomping deep footprints into the ground. Rallied by that roar, the concussed mutants shook their heads, returning to their senses. Reaching out with bloodstained arms, they scooped up their dropped rifles, renewed their charge toward the distant train and the stampeding Death Corps, and plunged across the nearly baked-dry stream! And then— As these beasts stepped onto the northern bank, they beheld a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives. Deathclaws were galloping across the earth with swift, powerful strides. The dust churned up by their massive hind legs formed a rolling torrent against the horizon. The mutants, who had barely regained their courage, saw their contorted faces twist right back into sheer dread. Before they could recover their wits, thick, elongated amber-yellow tracer rounds swept toward them like a swarm of locusts. Though 20mm armor-piercing incendiary shells were not as ferocious as 19mm bolter rounds, they were still beyond what mortal flesh could withstand. Mutants struck by the fire collapsed howling to the dirt, only to be crushed into the muddy riverbank shortly after struggling to their feet. Relying on combat instincts to dodge the incoming shells, Gray bounded forward with giant strides. His shotgun spit long tongues of flame as he roared in madness. "Die—!" "All of you, die!" The gunshots and bellows were deafening, yet against the earth-shaking rumble, they sounded pale and feeble. The thundering stampede drew nearer. When his gaze finally locked with those amber irises, he felt a bone-deep chill seize his spine. *Deathclaws!* *These bastards are riding deathclaws!* While they were on the train, they hadn't been visible at all; he had assumed only human runts were standing up there, never imagining these humans had actually tamed such horrifying terrors! There was no time to dodge! He shoved a rifle grenade of matching caliber into the barrel and blasted it at the nearest deathclaw. The grenade soared straight toward the beast's head, only for a neighboring deathclaw to snap its jaws around the side of the warhead, whip its neck, and fling it away. The grenade burst into a ball of fire in midair. From over a dozen meters away, the shrapnel that pinged off the exoskeleton was like a light scratch. Watching this unbelievable sight, Gray's eyes widened so far they nearly popped from their sockets. Evidently, he could not comprehend the miraculous maneuvers achievable when neural link apparatuses were combined with Intelligence-type players. Spotting the mutant lugging the shotgun, Brother Edge charged straight at him atop his mount, neither dodging nor slowing. Gray felt only a gust of fierce wind, and then his three-meter-tall frame was struck as if by a locomotive, launching him backward through the air. "Argh—!" Before his shriek could escape, the triangular bayonet affixed to the rider's lance pierced through his chest like lightning, impaling and hoisting him bodily into the air. Gray felt like an old rag being tossed aside with brutal carelessness. Before he even hit the ground, he helplessly watched a cavernous, bloody maw lunge forward, severing his consciousness in an instant. *Crunch—!* His head was crushed like an overripe tomato, red and white squelching out together from between the deathclaw's jaws. The mutants on the battlefield were struck dumb with terror. They watched helplessly as their chieftain was crushed into mincemeat like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Unable to contain their fear any longer, the mutants, whose morale had barely recovered, shattered completely. Driven by survival instinct, they scattered and fled in all directions. Yet they clearly failed to realize how foolish it was to scatter when facing a cavalry charge—especially when these riders weren't mounted on horses, but on the swiftest apex predators of the wasteland! Their dread of death only hastened their doom! Letting out a ravenous howl, stimulated by blood and slaughter, the deathclaws hungered for flesh. Becoming ever more savage, they sprinted forward with renewed fury. Seeing the mutants scatter, the players swapped their weapons one after another, slinging the 20mm 'lances' across the deathclaws' saddles and pulling out Cyclone grenade launchers and Town Guard shotguns. At this moment, the bloodbath had only just begun! *** Meanwhile, on the frontline fortifications before the military base not far away, soldiers of the Southern Construction Corps stood gazing at the battlefield where battle cries boiled over. Many of them had fought in the campaign against the Tide, and former members of the Iron Tower had clashed face-to-face with mutants; after joining the Southern Construction Corps, they had faced mutant threats constantly. Yet even so, they had never witnessed such an eye-popping spectacle! Those ferocious, menacing greenskin brutes were being chased down like chicks headed for the slaughter, pursued everywhere by the vault dwellers mounted on deathclaws. "Great Horned Deer God above..." Bite swallowed hard, his pupils trembling with shock and awe. Compared to these folks, their past efforts holding the streets against the Tide seemed like child's play... In truth, that wasn't far off. Word had it that the battle in the northern suburbs had been truly horrific; most of the pressure had been borne by the brothers of Dawn City, and it was they who had ultimately raided the central hive at the city center. Li Jinrong, former member of the Iron Tower standing beside him, also wore a stunned expression. Especially when he saw those mutants turn around in terror and plunge into the river to escape, his expression looked as though he had witnessed the impossible. *Mutants feel fear too!* *They aren't invincible; when facing someone stronger, they run away in terror just the same!* An unseen spark flared in his eyes. There was hope for his homeland after all! *** The battle concluded swiftly. It was even far faster than a certain observer had predicted. Forget two hours; it hadn't even taken thirty minutes before the brothers of the Death Corps drowned the mutants in the river. Whenever a head surfaced, it was met with a spear thrust or a bullet straight through the skull. Precious few mutants made it back to the southern bank, and every one of them had their throats torn out by the pursuing deathclaws. Crimson blood stained the river red, and dark green corpses drifted downstream. Looking at the considerably narrowed Wei River, Brother Edge, halted on the northern bank, couldn't help but click his tongue. "Seems the Legion's strength really isn't to be underestimated..." The power of that single shell was almost comparable to a full barrage from a rocket artillery battery! If it were a full salvo of such shells, probably not much would be left even of a fortress like Bicester Town... Of course, logistics was another matter entirely. A five-ton shell could likely only be hauled by train or an anti-gravity airship. The materials and labor hours consumed in producing one of these things could probably build an entire Tank No. 2! The 902mm caliber was partly a display of strength, but there was undeniably an element of showing off. All told, this monstrosity was certainly far more expensive than a bayonet charge by clone infantry... "Yeah..." Looking at the corpses littering the southern bank of the Wei River, Construction Site Boy and Bricks nodded gravely. Though the Alliance today was no longer the Alliance of the past, they had to admit a noticeable gap still existed between them and the old giants who had held a century-and-a-half head start. Being able to catch up and surpass them in specific domains was already no small feat; there was no need to belittle oneself, but neither could they become blindly arrogant. The Alliance's greatest trump card had never been caliber, technology, or economy—it was the unity of its people. Citizens of Ideal City were willing to abandon luxurious lives to become ordinary teachers in Dawn City; Academy researchers were willing to give up future tickets aboard the exodus ships to help them build from scratch in Dawn City. Even among the captured Wilante, many had abandoned the arrogance flowing in their veins and chosen a nobler ideal. Now, he somewhat understood why the manager had allocated those two massive siege guns to them. And deployed them in the very first battle. They needed to understand their opponents, learn from them, and ultimately surpass them, rather than becoming even more arrogant than their rivals. From the nearby fortifications, a group of men in military uniforms approached. The man leading them bore reverence in his eyes. Walking up to their side, he offered a military salute. "I am Li Jinrong." Brother Edge did not dismount from the deathclaw, as the battle was not yet over. He smiled at him and returned the salute with a fist to his chest. "Commander of the Death Corps, Edge." Li Jinrong was taken aback upon hearing this, his reverence deepening as he said with excitement, "I have heard of your deeds! They say you have fought in dozens of battles, always leading the charge from the front, and returned safe and sound every single time!" Hearing such heavy flattery, Brother Edge felt a bit embarrassed. To be fair, he hadn't returned safe and sound every time. Among all players, he was one of those who died the most, so much so that his level was barely hanging onto Tier 1. Still, that wasn't the point—the *Player's Handbook* was! Chuckling, Brother Edge said with a laugh, "You're too kind, too kind. It's all thanks to technology. Technology... just consider it our hacks." *Technology?* *Hacks?* Li Jinrong blinked, not understanding, but didn't dwell on it. Smiling, he said, "We have prepared quarters for you. Please accompany us to the camp to rest and reorganize!" The entire Weifu Military Base had been built to accommodate a hundred thousand personnel; it could host not only Alliance forces, but also the troops of the allied coalition. Once Ten Peaks Mountain was taken, this place would serve as the primary overland logistics hub for the Alliance Army. Having heard that reinforcements were arriving, they had long since prepared bedding and warm food, eagerly awaiting the brothers from Dawn City. Brother Edge chuckled heartily, yet declined the kind offer. "No need. Our quarters are on that mountain ahead! In a bit, once you see our flag raised over the peak, send everything up!" "On the mountain?" Li Jinrong froze, looking hesitatingly at the eager players, his mouth hanging slightly open in astonishment. "Are you planning to..." Brother Edge grinned, turning his gaze toward the distant peak as his eyes narrowed. "The manager told us." "Show them the Alliance's spirit, and don't let our friends from afar look down on us!" With that, he turned to the brothers gathered on the northern bank and waved the 'lance' in his hand forward. "Brothers! Follow me up the mountain! Plant our flag at their summit!" Having briefly caught their breath, the crowd erupted into a thunderous war cry. "Ooh-rah!" Shortly after the force crossed the river in grand momentum, In Debt God finally came jogging over, panting heavily. "Motherfucker! I'm completely wiped out!" Behind him trailed about a hundred stout, burly giants who wobbled as they walked. After gorging themselves on food for nearly half a year, these fellows showed none of their former frailness; every single one of them was as fat as a meat mountain. Bracing his hands on his knees and drawing a ragged breath, In Debt God looked around, but couldn't spot a single teammate—only a few men in uniform staring at him in bewilderment. Too exhausted to care, he asked, "Where did they go? The guys riding the dogs!" Li Jinrong pointed blankly toward the mountain, his eyes glued to the secondary entities. In Debt God looked into the distance, then back down at the river before him, his face full of resignation. "Why haven't you guys built a bridge?" Li Jinrong let out a wry chuckle. "There are mutants on the mountain... If we rushed to build a bridge, wouldn't we just be inviting trouble? But we have all the materials ready. It won't take long to set up." "Forget it, forget it... I'll build it in a bit. You guys go grab the materials." Li Jinrong nodded and hastily called his subordinates to rush toward the camp. Figuring he couldn't catch up anyway and might as well help clean up the spoils, In Debt God decided not to give chase. He bellowed over his shoulder, "Boys, dinner time—dammit, I haven't even given the order! Why are you eating already?!" *** The northernmost peak of Ten Peaks Mountain was called Mount Fu; Weifu City drew its name from Mount Fu and the Wei River. Today's Weifu Wasteland at the foot of the mountain inherited the name of old-era Weifu City, as did the vanished settlement of Fuzhuang. As for the mutants on Mount Fu, most belonged to the Stone Horn Clan. They had played their part in creating the eighty-li Bone Road; behind every bone buried on the mountain lay a shocking trail of blood and tears. The mutants had constructed obelisks out of human skulls and built watchtowers and encampments from femurs to boast of their barbarity and martial prowess. Now, however, these monsters had finally bitten into a bone too hard to crack. Humans mounted on deathclaws charged up the mountain, fighting with utmost brutality. Within mere breaths, they tore the mutants' hastily organized defensive lines to ribbons. The truly valiant warriors had followed their chieftain, Gray, to their deaths at the base of the mountain. Those remaining atop the peak were either aged relics, runts barely taller than one's knee, wounded survivors from earlier battles, or goblins leashed at the entrance as guard dogs. Against these savage beasts, the Death Corps players showed no mercy. The moment an enemy was spotted, they pierced them with a blade or dropped them with a bullet, granting them equal death! The slaughter raged until heaven and earth turned dark, moving from the cliff faces into caves, from caves into tunnels, and finally spilling out the other side of the mountain, as if even the distant twilight had been stained with a murky crimson. In two hours, the Stone Horn Clan was completely wiped out. Corpses piled into mounds on the open ground, countless in number. At a rough count, excluding the goblins, there were easily one to two thousand mutant corpses on the mountain alone! And if goblins were factored in, the count likely reached five or six thousand! One could only imagine the horrific depth of their blood debt! After tallying the casualties and spoils, Brother Edge tied his mount to a large boulder, then led several players on foot into the Stone Horn Clan's palace. Calling it a palace was generous; it was merely the central lair of the settlement. Generally speaking, mutants preferred keeping captives right in the center of the camp for their amusement—whether that meant eating them, or eating them. The moment they stepped past the lair's stone entrance, an acrid, rank stench drifted from deep within the cavern. "...Smells like hydrogen sulfide. Rotten eggs, I'm guessing," Midnight Umbrella Without Knife complained, pinching his nose. Walking beside him, Laplace swept the surroundings carefully with a flashlight and lowered his voice. "Stop guessing... Keep an eye on the corners, especially underfoot. Don't step on any traps." You Wouldn't Want That Either, Ma'am chimed in with a cheeky grin, "Exactly! You wouldn't want to get fed rotten eggs by mutants, would you?" "Piss off." Midnight Umbrella made a gagging face, though his expression grew serious. Fortunately, these mutants seemed never to have considered the possibility of captives escaping. The players encountered no traps along the way and reached the deepest shadows with ease. It was a spacious chamber, lined on both sides with about a dozen iron cages large enough to hold elephants. A crowd of survivors was crammed inside the filthy cages, without even enough room to stretch their legs. They showed no reaction to the arrival of their fellow humans, merely maintaining their vacant postures, eyes lifeless. By comparison, even marauder dungeons seemed far more merciful; at least those repulsive scum occasionally shoveled out the excrement rather than letting disease fester unchecked. Even as the players stepped into the chamber, several diminutive goblins were still chattering and screeching, crudely venting their primal instincts on a grime-smeared body. Judging by the width of the entrance, this was likely a mutant incubation chamber rather than the sort of low, narrow cave goblins inhabited. These runts had probably slipped inside while the brutes were away raiding. Unable to bear the horrific scene for another second, Brother Edge, clad in his exoskeleton, strode forward. Reaching out, he snapped the goblins' necks one by one and hurled their whimpering, dying bodies into the corner. A disheveled woman lay on the stone slab, her belly swollen like a balloon as she stared blankly at him. Her vacant, dull expression looked as if she were already dead, the only sign of life being her faint, shallow breathing. Most survivors suffered such tragic fates after being captured by mutants, whether in River Valley Province or Jinchuan Province. The only difference was that Torch's biotechnology prolonged their despair. "Torch drugged these survivors... probably with Na fruit, or the people here would have died long ago," Construction Site Boy and Bricks murmured, cutting himself off. Brother Edge remained silent for a long moment, ultimately letting out a sigh. "...Send them to Singularity City." In the end, he couldn't bring himself to end their suffering like Captain Lu had, even though he could sense the woman silently begging him to do so. Whatever choice these poor souls made in the future, at least that choice should be theirs to make... "Yeah." Construction Site Boy and Bricks nodded. Silently stepping forward, he tore off the shroud from his pack, draped it over the woman, and carried her out of the cave. Once all the rescued survivors had been evacuated, the Death Corps players set the mountain ablaze and thoroughly sealed off the entrances to those filth-ridden caves. Mutants were large and had trouble squeezing into crevices humans couldn't enter, but the diminutive goblins could easily hide in fissures beyond reach. This fire would likely burn some to death, but it could never purge them all. Completely clearing the mutants from this mountain range would be no simple task, far beyond what hundreds or thousands of incendiary or thermobaric bombs could accomplish. Yet the players stationed here would keep killing, rotating shifts as they logged on and off, taking the train from Dawn City back to the front whenever they died—until this twisted evil was thoroughly slaughtered to the last. Though the evils across the wasteland extended far beyond this corner, they fortunately had endless blood and strength to spare! They could keep killing forever! *** Twilight drew to a close. The banners of the Alliance and the Death Corps fluttered atop the highest peak of Mount Fu. Leading his hundred-odd secondary entity lackeys, and under the guidance and assistance of the Construction Corps combat engineers, In Debt God finally assembled the pontoon bridge. Seeing that the fat boys he had fed so diligently had finally proven useful, In Debt God's face broke into a satisfied smile. Building fortifications earned contribution points too; as long as he participated in the raid, he wasn't slacking. Though his heart quickly twinged with grief when he recalled that the money spent on feed could have helped so many young ladies in need, making his face contort with financial agony... Cart after cart of supplies arrived at the mountain's foot, carried upward by logistics soldiers in exoskeletons. The Alliance had claimed the first peak of Ten Peaks Mountain, taking the very first step across this eighty-li Bone Road. The Alliance's front line was now forty li from Blood Mountain, the highest peak, and seventy-seven li from Mount Lai—the northern gateway to Haiya Province. This was the Alliance's first direct confrontation with the Church of the Torch! A resounding victory!