"Who said I’m going to do that?"
He Shuo spread his hands.
"I’ll command them to focus fire and take down that monster as soon as they see it."
"I won’t give the monster any chance."
Li Xian suddenly was at a loss for words.
They need to kill the monster immediately, but someone has to die in this battle.
So, the only way is...
Our own kill our own.
Collective punishment rule.
Killing deserters, punishing squads.
This is what he planned to do!
A chill suddenly surged down Li Xian’s back.
He realized that the man in front of him, although disdainful of using methods like religion and brainwashing control, the ability to use rules and the human nature far exceeded what he could imagine.
Was it himself too weak, or was he too strong?
And at that moment, He Shuo had already stepped forward, heading towards the drill field.
He was dressed in mysterious armor that these expeditionary forces had only seen in the scriptures and missionary paintings of the Mechanical God Sect, holding a mighty weapon.
The drones buzzed lowly in the sky, robots marched in neat steps behind him, and alongside him followed a solemn Holy Blood who looked as imposing as an honor guard.
When he stopped, he issued an irresistible order.
In emotions mixed with dread, fear, and despair, this troop was quickly assembled and headed outside the city.
Their target was the monster still active outside Han Shui City.
Li Xian knew this was a battle without suspense.
But, who would die in this battle was unknown...
A few hours later, inside Base 011.
Chen Jian had just received a report from He Shuo.
He didn’t disclose this report to anyone but directly went to Lei Jie, and they privately discussed it in the combat command room.
All communications were cut off, even Fu Xi’s permissions were denied.
Chen Jian looked grave, and he quietly waited for Lei Jie to finish reading the report, then asked:
Lei Jie put down the paper document, briefly falling silent, then said:
"It does appear to have a tendency toward danger."
"But, it is considered a... compelled method."
"I don’t see any potential for loss of control at the moment."
"Moreover, from the combat process and the final punishment outcome, He Shuo intentionally avoided meaningless casualties, and he showed considerable restraint in the last punishment."
"Honestly, for an army with organization levels equivalent to medieval times, ’executing military law’ is not that incomprehensible."
"It is even a common method."
"Even the Church Protection Army itself often adopts this method to maintain control over the troops."
"We find He Shuo’s techniques particularly ruthless because he, to some extent, used our established prestige..."
"Not leveraging our prestige."
Chen Jian interrupted Lei Jie, then said:
"He’s exploiting the gap created after the destruction of prestige."
"He proactively damaged our outward image and used the consequences of that damage."
"That’s my real concern... This can’t be called fraud; it’s practically a form of betrayal."
"I worry whether he is going to extremes."
"If this trend continues unchecked, we might gradually lose control over Han Shui City."
"Because that city is built upon an entirely different set of rules, according to which, it is bound to diverge from us."
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Summon He Shuo back, abandon the newly established second base?"
"Or directly send a newcomer to take over his work, organize battles using the ’correct method’?"
"Frankly, neither plan can be implemented."
"Only by following the route he has chosen can we achieve the best outcome."
"Otherwise, do you have any method to organize a relatively competent force in a short period?"
Chen Jian sighed deeply.
"But it is an issue that cannot be ignored, and you have to acknowledge it."
"Especially your last sentence."
"Only by following his chosen direction can we get the best results."
"Do you know how dangerous that statement is?"
"It almost contains all signs of division, if not restrained... our route divergence might soon come to the surface."
Reaching this point, Lei Jie didn’t argue further.
He remained silent for a long time and finally spoke:
"No matter what he has done, I believe he won’t deteriorate."
"I vote to give him a chance."
".....Fine. Then let’s give him a chance."
Chen Jian nodded slowly, Lei Jie looked at him in surprise, then promptly asked:
"Not pulling Shen Yue in for a vote?"
Chen Jian shook his head.
"The battle on the southwest front is about to erupt; he has more important matters to worry about."
"A frontline operational commander shouldn’t be distracted by such matters; let’s discuss it after the battle ends."
"You trust He Shuo, and I trust you."
"There’s no need for a vote, one vote is enough."
Lei Jie nodded solemnly.
"Then let’s focus on the combat plan."
"We have the last 36 hours."
"After 36 hours, the hammer-anvil tactic will commence."
"The situation in the north is dire, the Mechanical God Sect has deployed heavy forces north of Jinling City."
"But what they face is also a tide of beasts composed of over a hundred monsters."
"Whether they can hold is not the issue----they definitely can’t."
"The key issue is how long they can hold."
"Our current estimate is 10 days."
"So, we must completely annihilate the southwest beast tide within 8 days, then quickly mobilize forces to relieve the pressure in the north."
"Time is tight, the task is heavy."
"All of us must get moving."
"Then there’s no need for further words."
One hour after the conversation with Lei Jie, Chen Jian issued a comprehensive mobilization order within Base 011.
All forces were organized, including those with life and without.
Swarm robots switched to 24-hour nonstop operation, Fu Xi no longer considered equipment conditions, wear, and depreciation, organizing production and construction work tirelessly within the base.
The Civilian Reserve Team completely shifted out of normal jobs, conducting nonstop intensive training day and night.
Merchants used various channels and all resources to supply goods to Base 011, which were quickly distributed to every resident as a nutritional supplement for intensive labor.
Lei Jie led his Huaxia Army air force pilots, one sortie after another, taking off to suppress the converging momentum of the southern and southeastern beast tides while delivering combat supplies and materials to the Penetration Company far in Huangshan City.
At the same time, he also allocated enough time to cooperate with Fu Xi in furthering the final assembly of the DF-26 missile, perfecting the launch conditions for this ultimate weapon.
The 36-hour period quickly passed, and when the DF-26 was hoisted out of the main channel of Base 011, erected on the prebuilt launch stand, everyone in the base simultaneously realized that the horn for the final showdown had sounded.
This would not be an easy battle.
But fortunately, unlike with the Mechanical God Sect, they had done all they could to prepare.
When Chen Jian received another message from He Shuo, confirming that his team had reached the Benghu front line and completed the defense line, Chen Jian decisively issued the attack command.
Inside Huangshan City, the Penetration Company led by Shen Yue pounced over the layered Huangshan Mountain Range toward the Poyang Lake area like a tiger descending the mountain.
When the first gunshot rang out by the shore of Poyang Lake.
The heavy hammer in the hammer-anvil tactic had already struck hard!