Fatty felt so wronged. He cried like rain. This life was unbearable. He couldn't leave when the fighting started, and when he was allowed to, he couldn't. At the last minute, he tipped someone off and pointed out a way out, yet he was still abandoned here. Although he cried, Tian Xingjian was no fool. He picked up his gun and ran deep into the jungle, nimble as a fat rabbit. As long as the Imperial mechas didn't enter the jungle, Fatty had an 80% chance of escaping. If they followed the Federation mechas, even better. Fatty could run across open areas at top speed. If he could just plunge into the not-so-turbulent waters of the Supengman River, with his fat and his battalion-leading armed swimming record, he could easily reach his base camp. He could eat a few large pieces of barbecue, drink a cup of hot chocolate or tea, and with a little luck, maybe even find some alcohol. Tian Xingjian quickly shook his head to get these foolish thoughts out of his mind. Thinking about these things while he was tired, hungry, and heartbroken was undoubtedly devastating to Fatty. He had to find a hiding place first. If the heavy mechs didn't pursue northward after arriving at the battlefield, but instead gathered up the scattered individual mechs on the spot, then this forest would become their base. The fat man could almost imagine himself being captured, skinned like a sheep, hung from a tree, and whipped. It would be too tragic. He discerned his direction and ran furiously. To increase his chances of survival, he needed to retrieve a few tools. The Federation armored unit's original base was not far from this forest. The fat man quickly reached the camp. After some rummaging through the drawers, he found several individual grenades, a large block of compressed solid energy, and a disused energy machine gun. Most importantly, he found an automated robotic arm used by maintenance soldiers. With it, the fat man could quickly assemble a variety of vehicles from any available parts. Fifteen of his twenty previous escapes had been this way. This time, the supplies seemed much more plentiful than before. But the weight of these items was far too much for the fat man to carry alone. He quickly dug a hole with his maintenance manipulator, burying everything except the grenades in batches. Then, without hesitation, the fat man set a fire, climbed up, and ran. As the fire triggered the ammunition detonation in the order Tian Xingjian had planned, the poor, lonely mechanical maintenance soldier had reached a stinking mud pond in the center of the woods. In just a few minutes, he had completely buried himself, leaving only a hollow tube leading to the grass at the edge of the mud pond. To hide from infrared and bio-radar detection, the anti-detection combat suit alone was not enough. The fat man lowered his breathing and heartbeat to a dangerous level. This was one of the many strange techniques taught to him by that bear-faced instructor in the reconnaissance training camp. Tian Xingjian had an uncanny talent for these strange techniques. He had always believed that if he could stay like this until the end of the war, he didn't mind burying himself even deeper. The Imperial mecha squad outside the forest behaved as the fat man had predicted. Instead of pursuing, they contacted the scattered individual mechas and began to gather their forces. According to their battle plan, this would serve as a forward base for their attack on New Rome. This meant that if Fatty waited until they left before crawling out of the mud, he might as well have carved another tombstone for himself. Poor Tian Xingjian didn't know this. As soon as he relaxed, fatigue washed over him like a tide, and he soon fell asleep in the mud. By then, the Lele Federation's headquarters was in chaos. Phones rang incessantly, as the central computer processed tens of thousands of frontline messages. The combat staff, with pale faces, entered real-time war information into the virtual sandbox. The planet Milok, hovering directly above the hall, was ravaged. The red color, symbolizing the Imperial Army, spread across the virtual planet at an astonishing rate. Of the sixty or so settler cities, more than forty were already under siege. Sixteen had already been captured, and one had been completely reduced to a gray-black hue, a sign of complete destruction. With their air power completely depleted, the Federation's ground defense forces were left to fend for themselves. Large virtual icons representing the Federation's military strength were cut apart by the red Imperial Army and rapidly vanished. In the Commander's Office, Admiral Mihajlovic, in charge of the battle, was reporting the war situation to the President, who had arrived in person. "So far, the Federation has completely lost control of the five colonized planets. The 11th and 12th Space Forces stationed in the Galileo System have been virtually annihilated. Only one Orion-class battleship, several light cruisers, and a Titan-class aircraft carrier, which escaped destruction due to duty rotation, have managed to escape. The Milok Regional Fleet stationed in the Newton System, due to the vastly disparate strength of the enemy, has withdrawn from the Atlantis Sector after losing 50% of its warships, with the approval of the High Command." Admiral Mihajlovic's voice was hoarse. Six months had passed since the Gacharin Empire's undeclared war. Due to the Federation's long-term lack of preparation for war, it had been unable to organize a sufficient defense, let alone a counterattack. The Lele Federation, encompassing eight star systems across three star regions, faced its most daunting test yet. Facing the well-prepared Gacharin Empire, the Lele Federation's military was at a disadvantage. The doves who dominated the government and parliament were overly cautious of the Gacharin royal family, whose history and lineage were steeped in aggression. The military's repeated requests for budget increases were rejected. Funds were scarce, the ships were outdated, and the training was inadequate. Even more frustrating for Mihajlovic was the fact that the army was filled with academic commanders with no experience of war. The Lele Federation had been at peace for too long. In this heroic nation, born three hundred years ago, the older generation of generals who shone brightly in the War of Independence had become mere figures in history textbooks and statues on the lawns of military academies.
What the Lele Federation needs now is time, and a general mobilization order has been issued. Factories and shipyards are also working at full capacity to build new mechas and warships. Batches of new recruits are continuously entering the barracks for training, but will time bring the dawn of victory to Lele? "The First Mixed Space Army composed of the Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Space Fleets has been assembled in the Lele Central Star Field. Since the space jump point has been blocked by the Gacharin Empire's space fleet, it is no longer possible to force a jump to reinforce the Newton Galaxy. Therefore, the command has issued an order to block the jump point between Lele and the Atlantis Star Field, and the First Mixed Army is on the spot for defense." Seeing that the president, who was holding a teacup and frowning, did not express anything, Mihajlovic continued: "The First, Second, and Eighth Space Fleets drawn from the Baimu Star Field are gathering in the rear, and the maintenance of the ships is underway. It will take some time to replenish the ammunition and personnel. The third and ninth space fleets have been ordered to set off, detouring the public star field to find a new jump point to the Atlantis star field. The fifth and tenth space fleets are still responsible for protecting the security of the capital star." "The local fleets have begun a comprehensive reorganization. After replenishing ships and personnel, it is expected that five to six mixed fleets can be expanded." President Hamilton finally put down the teacup in his hand, waved his hand, and said: "Tell me about your difficulties, what can I do? As long as the military needs it, I will support it unconditionally." After a pause, the president continued: The domestic situation is very unstable now. Five immigrant planets, nearly three hundred cities, and hundreds of millions of people were lost at any time. The people are calling for a counterattack. The opposition party is also fanning the flames. If Milok is lost again, we will be completely passive and there will be no forward base for the strategic counterattack. "Seeing Mihajlovic about to speak, the president waved his hand to stop him, stood up and walked to the window, turned his back to the admiral and said: "I know what you want to say, but we have no way out. If we can't save Milok, I will become the first president in the history of the Federation to resign, and you will also become He was the first general to be dismissed. Without sacrifice, there is no victory. Even if it is a gamble, we can only fight to the death and take this chance. "Turning around, the president signaled his secretary to hand a document to Mihajlovic, and then said: "This is all the strength that the federal government can accumulate within three months of general mobilization. I believe that as long as we can hold on for these three months, we will be able to enter a strategic balance. Relying on our resources and production capacity that is nearly twice as high as that of the Gacharin Empire, we can launch a full-scale counterattack within a year." "Without sacrifice, there is no victory." Mihajlovic chewed on this sentence again and again. "Even if there's only one city, one armed force, we must resist to the end. Milok must not fall completely into Gacharin's hands. The people want victory, so we'll give them victory. Public opinion wants heroes, so we'll give them heroes." The president's gaze was far calmer than his tone. "Seize the jump point, rapidly reinforce Milok, unify the ground resistance, cultivate federal heroes, and strive for a partial victory. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Mihajlovic nodded gravely, suddenly realizing he was no longer a mere soldier. He considered political needs more than military ones. "Hopefully, the choices we've made are the right ones," the admiral thought silently, watching the president stride away. ************* Tian Xingjian quietly emerged from the muddy pond. Being buried in the stinking mud for half a day and a night wasn't exactly pleasant. While there, Tian Xingjian realized he'd made a big mistake. Imperial mechas, transport vehicles, and soldiers shuttled back and forth in the jungle. The Imperial Army seemed determined to remain here until the end of the war. They had even created a small airfield in the clearing for ultra-small transport ships to land. A steady stream of troops gathered here, and supplies piled up like mountains. Even Fatty knew with a quick guess that the Federation Army must have retreated to the second line of defense. Perhaps the Sujiang Bridge had already been blown up by the Federation Army. Although they were in a muddy pond, Fatty had the ability to discern the exact type of Imperial Army unit stationed there and its size simply by listening to the sounds. This was his only amusement while hiding in the muddy pond. Tian Xingjian motionlessly "observed" this abominable Imperial Army. During this day and night, this Imperial Army was attacked twice by the Federation Air Force, but presumably because they were well concealed, they didn't suffer significant losses in supplies and manpower. However, as the Imperial Air Force gradually intensified its aerial attacks, nothing in this jungle ever made Tian Xingjian happy again. Disguising himself as a giant lump of mud in the grass, the fat man's mind raced, "Damn it! If this keeps up, I'll either be discovered and beaten to death or starve to death." If it weren't for his childhood patriotism, his fear of torture, and his reluctance to leave his villa and flying car on the Capital Planet, the fat man would have almost walked over and been captured by the Imperial Army. "I must escape from here no matter what," the fat man thought fiercely. "If I keep going like this, I'll probably be blasted to pieces before I even get out of these woods." After much deliberation, the fat man ran out of options. It seemed the chance to escape without taking any risks wasn't his for the taking. As a scout, in such a situation, one would typically resort to tactics like assassinating the enemy commander, bombing, camouflaging, targeting the Air Force's guided missiles, poisoning the water supply, and other methods of creating chaos and surviving. But for the fat man, these were too dangerous, and he barely wanted to think about them. Assassinating the commander? The commander would die, and so would the fat man. Bombing? The material would explode, and he'd die too. Disguised as an enemy soldier, was this just a movie? Fatty knew a few words of Imperial language and had overheard the password, but what if he couldn't find the right clothes? He usually had to go to a store that specialized in plus-size clothing.
Guidance for the Air Force? Those crappy planes of the Federation are still alive? Well, even if they are ace pilots, it is not easy to break through the blockade of the Imperial Air Force? Poisoning the water source? Fatty is just a mechanical maintenance soldier now, not a special forces soldier with a little bit of everything, what about poison? Fatty felt like his brain was about to explode, and he was in a dilemma. "Damn it! Fight!" Once forced into a desperate situation, Fatty's bachelor temperament came out again. Tian Xingjian didn't know whether he was lucky or unlucky. He had just made up his mind and was cheering himself up when a tall and strong Imperial soldier escorted two Federation prisoners into the jungle. He happened to pass by Fatty. It was a golden opportunity. Seeing no one around, the fat man, impulsively leaping without a second thought, flinched. With a flick of his hands, a soft thud spun the Imperial soldier's head, sending him tumbling backward like a rag doll with its neck twisted into a knot. This was his first time killing someone, and the fat man wasn't going to go easy on him. He thrust his dagger into the unfortunate soldier's throat and delivered a knee strike to his groin. As he laid the body down, he still felt uneasy, giving the unfortunate soldier a slap on the head with the butt of his rifle, then yanked the corpse into the bushes like a thief. It took less than five seconds. The fat man's legs trembled, his heart racing. He'd killed someone. This was truly a life-or-death struggle. These quick and abrupt moves left the two captives stunned. The two female captives were a pilot and a medic. They were both as beautiful as flowers and captivatingly beautiful. The fat man couldn't care less about the two dazed female soldiers. He shamelessly stripped himself naked and changed into the clothes of an Imperial soldier. The two female Federal soldiers felt like they were about to collapse. What kind of monster was this fat, white guy?