Sir, I'm just a regular pilot; I've never fought in a ground war!" Fischer didn't even need to guess; Salen Kotch's intentions were crystal clear.
"But General Lefrancois didn't say that. This is an order!" Salen Kotch's face was serious, and his tone left no room for refusal.
"Alright, sir!" Fischer could only comply with the arrangement, "But I hope to get all the equipment I might need!"
"You will receive all the weapons and equipment we currently have. After you disable the anti-air system, the Olympus Mons will immediately enter the field. The future of Mars is in your hands!"
"Rest assured, sir! Long live Mars!" Fischer strained his facial muscles, barely holding back his laughter. The future of Mars entrusted to him—how blind these Martians must be.
However, Salen Kotch was moved by Fischer's righteous expression. If it weren't for maintaining his own lofty image, he would have embraced Fischer right then and there.
But this brief gaze was enough; Fischer's golden psionic energy had already planted a seed in Salen Kotch's mind, just waiting for the right time to blossom… In fact, after the raid was thwarted, the UNSA military immediately intensified the interrogation of the captured Martian spies. Faced with the tragic state of Geneva, these interrogators, full of pent-up anger, naturally wouldn't give the other party any preferential treatment. A steady supply of punches, tap water, and the torment of sleep deprivation quickly broke a few spies, who spilled everything they knew.
However, what troubled the UNSA interrogators was the head of the Martian spies, Archilles Mineria, captured by Reyes. This guy was as stubborn and foul-mouthed as a rock in a toilet. After three days without food, drink, or sleep, he still had the energy to exchange pleasantries with the interrogators about their parents. If Admiral Rains hadn't ordered that he not be harmed, Riya would probably be a pile of human refuse by now.
Furthermore, the UNSA's sweep of the Geneva city ruins continued. There were still some remnants of Martian soldiers and robot units in the vast city, so UNSA search and rescue teams were fighting and rescuing surviving civilians simultaneously.
"Sir, Geneva is still not very safe. Perhaps you should withdraw first!" A military officer stood nervously on the top floor of the UNSA building, and after much hesitation, he spoke to the silent Admiral Rains.
"No, I'll stand right here. I'll see which idiot dares to come looking for me!"
"But, you are also responsible for commanding the entire UNSA fleet!"
"There's only one carrier left in the fleet. I trust Reyes. As for that prisoner, Geneva isn't very safe. You should send him to Berlin as soon as possible. The federal prison there is well-defended and safer!"
"But…" The officer tried to say more but was cut off by the grim-faced Rains.
"Alright, I'll arrange it immediately!"
..."They're on the move!" In a building ruin less than three kilometers from the UNSA headquarters, Fischer, wearing a dark tactical cloak, lay motionless amidst the bricks and rubble. Beside him were more than a dozen Martian assault soldiers in similar attire.
"Attention, they're coming out!"
Through the binoculars, Riya, dressed in a yellow engineer's suit, was escorted out of the UNSA headquarters by two heavily armed heavy assault soldiers and loaded into a six-wheeled armored vehicle.
"Should we make a move?" A soldier next to Fischer asked in a low voice.
"No, this is their heavily defended area. We'll go around and intercept them up ahead!"
For this rescue and attack, Mars had spared no expense, deploying two experimental Raven transports equipped with jump drives. Fischer and his team bypassed the lunar defense line, disguised the Raven transports as falling debris, and arrived in Geneva.
"Sir, they're on the overpass!" The Martian soldier who had taken over surveillance from Fischer and his team reported.
"Follow them, and drive them towards the planned ambush point!" Fischer took out his PDA, drew a few lines on it, and marked the pursuit route.
In the rain, which almost obscured the starlight, two armored vehicles rumbled over the ruined debris and onto the relatively intact overpass.
"Enemy attack!" The UNSA vehicle escorting Riya accelerated while frantically calling for aid from any possible friendly forces. The Martian assault team's armored vehicle also accelerated, firing at the escort vehicle ahead.
Blinding muzzle flashes and deafening gunfire shot into the sky. Just as the escort vehicle was about to drive off the overpass, the two concrete support pillars beneath the bridge exploded.
The escort vehicle groaned and crashed to the ground with a series of creaks and snaps, throwing its occupants into disarray.
"Hurry, they've reacted!" Fischer leaped onto a high ruin, gazing into the distance. In the darkness, specks of light were rapidly approaching.
The Martian assault soldiers quickly used heavy breaching tools to pry open the armored vehicle and dragged out a blood-covered Riya.
"Sir, are you alright!"
"Don't worry about me, I still have a mission. You hold off the pursuers!" Riya took a breath, grabbed a pistol from an assault soldier, and began to move. At this moment, the UNSA Jackal fighters responsible for reconnaissance had arrived over the ambush site.
"Fire at will!" Fischer loudly ordered all soldiers to start shooting, while he himself fired and pursued Riya, accompanied only by a few combat robots.
Fischer knew exactly what Riya was going to do: detonate the timed bombs planted on the anti-air system, destroy the AA railguns, and then activate the transponder implanted in his body to call in the Olympus Mons, which was orbiting high above. However, Fischer had no intention of letting him do that. The Star Beacon was already almost fully charged, so he would just add a bit more fuel to the fire and then leave.
However, due to unfamiliarity with the terrain, Fischer quickly lost sight of Riya. He even sent the combat robots to search for UNSA soldiers, fearing they might reveal his position.
"Where is this guy?" Just as Fischer was at a loss, a Jackal fighter, spewing sparks, spiraled and crashed to the ground. Fischer, with his excellent eyesight, saw a graffiti and letters painted beneath the cockpit of the Jackal fighter. Fischer recognized it as the personal craft of Reyes, the new captain of the UNSA Retribution. He must also be here for Riya. Fischer followed without hesitation.
So, what's the point of a bunch of people staying up late at night discussing past relationships? Laughing over and over again at others' past embarrassments? Two chapters done, good night everyone.