Chapter 190: Fierce Battle Part 3 (1/2)

Chapter 190: Fierce Battle (Part 3) [Volume 3 – The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace]

Qianye naturally wouldn’t let the expeditionary army retreat in peace. The officers couldn’t stop his pursuit and continuous attacks despite doing their best to keep the retreating soldiers in formation. Fighters fell one after another under his relentless assault. At this time, Qianye was like a wolf stalking his prey—he bit off large chunks from time to time, causing the expeditionary army’s wounds to gradually expand.

Qianye tailed them out of the village and only gave up when he felt several snipers lock onto him.

Thick smoke surged from the unextinguished flames and wreckage. The two guard captains were drenched in blood as they came over to meet him. It was unknown whether the blood was theirs or the enemies’. However, their spirits were obviously higher than before the battle began, and raging flames could be seen burning in the depths of their eyes. Their gazes toward Qianye were also different from before.

Qianye was quite clear as to what their gazes embodied. It was respect for an expert and could even be considered worship. Qianye could be said to have won the two guard captains’ respect from this point onwards.

An idea flashed through Qianye’s heart—it was as if the sudden realization tore through the dense mist like a bolt of lightning—he was no longer a lone wolf but a commander who needed to lead the whole battlefield!

Qianye’s strategy wasn’t wrong in terms of maximizing personal accomplishments. Snipers were independent units who, under normal circumstances, could only exert their full potential when they were free to choose their own position. But a commander was different—he needed to let all his subordinates see him, trust him, and let them know that the commander would always be with them.

The situation here was different from when he was in the 131st company. The latter was a seasoned squad—Bao Zhengcheng and his officers all served as sturdy nodes of command on the battlefield. Such a coordination was built over the countless battles in which they risked their lives together. Qianye’s hurriedly assembled squad, on the other hand, had no such cooperation and neither had they accumulated much confidence. That was especially why they required a strong commander.

The person most qualified for such a position was Wei Potian. Qianye had seen his fighting style back at Darkblood City and also during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. His imposing attitude and the way he fought at the head of his troops to storm the enemy directly were qualities suited for open confrontations on the battlefield. One merely needed to look at his reputation and position in the Broken Winged Angels to see that his style was suitable for leading troops.

But Qianye had learnt only killing methods during the Yellow Springs Training Camp and his time with the Red Scorpions. Maintaining morale became the single most important factor in order to win an outnumbered battle without the aid of steep fortifications and geographical advantage. That meant he had to collapse the enemy head-on.

That was the difference between a soldier and a general. This age belonged to the strong and only the strong reigned supreme!

Qianye appeared on the battlefield with an indomitable attitude from the moment he tossed out that vampire grenade. Anyone who dared challenge him, from second lieutenants to lieutenant colonels, were all killed! This dealt a huge blow to the expeditionary army’s morale while lifting their own at the same time.

Finally, the expeditionary army’s first assault was thus repelled.

In addition to the two guard captains, the fighters from among the seedlings had also gathered before Qianye. They were previously tasked with leading their own small groups during the organization phase. After going through the previous battle, all of them had become the core of their respective squads. Some of the more experienced veterans were already beginning to reorganize their members as soon as the battle ended.

Qianye didn’t say too much and only gave out simple instructions. “Perform a casualty check and reorganize the defenses. Remember to distribute weapons and equipment to everyone now that we have sufficient armaments.

After everyone hurriedly dispersed to attend to their duties, Qianye climbed to the badly damaged watchtower alone and gazed at the distant expeditionary army. They had retreated for over a thousand meters and were reorganizing their troops. It was obvious that the enemy commander was apprehensive of Qianye’s Eagleshot and had all the troops retreat well outside its range before marshaling the soldiers.

Qianye’s sight was fixed upon a certain lieutenant colonel standing in front of the troop formation. In truth, his Eagleshot could definitely reach the latter. It was just that, due to the great distance, the officer would likely have enough time to evade.

“Sir, you’ve been wounded.” It was a young and tender voice full of obvious nervousness.

Qianye turned around to see a young seedling girl. The dust and blood on her face couldn’t conceal her delicate and beautiful features.

Following the little girl’s gaze, Qianye looked down to find a large bloodstain around his waist. There was a badly mangled wound that was still bleeding.

Qianye himself couldn’t recall when he had been wounded. Perhaps it was when he had run through the hail of bullets to fight against the assault squad that had gathered in the plaza, or perhaps he was sniped while pursuing the retreating expeditionary army. He secretly activated his blood energy and discovered a strand of cold origin power lingering around the wound, preventing it from healing.

The one who had shot Qianye apparently possessed a special ability. This kind of rare cold attribute origin power was quite useful in battle. That soldier would likely become an expert given enough time to develop. But unfortunately, he had encountered Qianye. Qianye had clearly committed him to memory despite not knowing the exact person—each and everyone who had attacked him with origin power were destined to be on his list of martial accomplishments.

This was war.

Outside the village. The lieutenant colonel’s expression was solemn, and the seventh division’s battalion commander beside him wasn’t looking any better.

The seventh division commander suddenly spoke, “I’ll lead the charge during the next battle!”

The lieutenant colonel shook his head. “Our division’s assault battalion commander, my vice regimental commander, and another battalion commander all died within the village. Do you think you’ll fare any better if you go?”

The battalion commander roared, “At least I don’t fear death!”