585 Miscalculate (2/2)

The silence of the firing line could be broken abruptly at any time, such that despite the long wait and anticipation, human soldiers would still feel that the attack came unexpectedly.

”Report!”

Not all leaders attended the briefing conference call; the captain of the sixth regiment, for example, was absent.

Lie Jintian glanced at the empty seat and flipped Lie Jian a look, willing him to explain the situation. Lie Jian stood up and said, ”The sixth regiment had taken the brunt of the Zergs' attack, but they stood their ground firmly for three days without backing an inch. However, Captain Jiang Guang had paid the ultimate sacrifice, and so did many other soldiers in the sixth regiment.”

Although everyone had expected casualties during this war, when the reality set in, the captains realized that the death was much closer to them than they had thought.

Everyone's face turned hard and solemn. The death of Captain Jiang Guang showed them the Zergs' determination in killing every last human being. Never before had these captains realized how close they were to the extinction of the human race. They had no other choice but to fight to their death and defend the line. They were all in this together, and no one wanted to become the weak link that broke the chain.

Every regiment briefed Lie Jintian on their casualties and the difficulties they were having. Lie Jintian listened calmly; in the end, he concluded the meeting after conveying the only message: Jiang Guang was the exemplar of bravery, and every soldier should learn from him.

Everyone at the meeting agreed with his loud and clear message; the Zergs could only cross the defensive line over the human soldiers' dead bodies!

After the meeting, Lie Jintian's 's face looked troubled. The had warded off the Zergs' initial charge, but when the real attacks came, would the current defense suffice? The Zergs' alarming replenishing rate meant that they could keep throwing Zergs toward the human defense without having to worry about casualties. He reckoned that the only hope in turning the situation around would be the energy crystal gun.

The report said that the guns would finally be ready in ten days. In order to meet the deadline, some production plants had even pushed the METAL suit production back.

However, Lie Jintian wagered that even with the GN guns, the situation would remain unclear. It might help the human force to push back the Zergs once or twice, but no one knew how many Zergs were gathering behind the enemy lines. If they rushed the defense all at once, even the GN guns wouldn't be of much use.

Meanwhile, deep inside the Zerg controlled territory. Wu Juetian was listening to the briefing on the war and waiting for Wang Tong. After a couple of days of investigation, he finally got the picture of Wang Tong's activities. He estimated that the latter was leading a very small unit—three to four hundred at most—and had conquered three Zerg cities without any casualties. The cowardice of the dark ones at Bore City amused him.

Wu Juetian was convinced that Wang Tong would come after Mephisto city. However, after three days of quietness, reports said that he was spotted near Lantian City, on the other side of the district. Wu Juetian was disappointed by the finding; however, he conceded that Wang Tong was not stupid enough to attack Mephisto City while he was the commander here.

Patroclus didn't issue any order relating to the ongoing war between the humans and Moye. However, Wu Juetian knew that Patroclus' reticent behavior was a hint for all the immortals to stay put and let the other two parties fight to the death. Therefore, despite the urgent request for reinforcement from the dark lord, Wu Juetian held onto the forces under his control. The dark ones had questioned him a few times about not helping out in the war, but he dismissed their question each time by using excuses that were beyond the comprehension of their thick skulls.

When the news about the sacking of the City of Lantian came to Wu Juetian, he didn't give up his hope. Lantian was not far from Mephisto; if Wang Tong didn't come to him, Wu Juetian would go to him instead. The next day, Wu Juetian led all the dark ones and the primitive Zergs out of Mephisto and headed toward Lantian to capture Wang Tong.

After, and only after the troops were already on their way to Lantian did Wu Juetian think about drafting a letter to the northern warden, requesting permission for his action. In the letter, he had exaggerated the enemy force, claiming there were over ten thousand human soldiers under Wang Tong's command.

However, when they were halfway to Lantian, a report from his home base reached him: Wang Tong was attacking Mephisto.

Wu Juetian was shaken after the news. If he lost the city and failed to capture Wang Tong, he would be as dead as a door-nail. Although the dark ones were easy to fool most of the time, there was a limit to their stupidity as well.