Rashid lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, the glow of the tip flared briefly in the dark, then dimmed, burning on its own, turning into thin wisps of smoke. After a long silence, he asked, "So what do you plan to do?"
Tian Xingjian took out an electronic map, entered a coordinate, and pointed at the screen emitting a faint green glow in the dark. "We head southeast for twenty kilometers, and we'll reach the mountains. The path is dense with forests. If we're lucky, we can get into the mountains before the enemy finds us. The Mechas have a hard time searching in the mountains, there should be a way to hide. If not, these hundreds of armed men can still put up a desperate fight. It's better than waiting to die here."
Rashid studied the map carefully and said, "How do you plan to return? Even if you evade the search, you can't stay in the mountains until the war ends, right? And it's easy to handle food for one or two people, but where will you find enough food for hundreds?"
Tian Xingjian smiled and said, "We'll take it one step at a time. For now, our mission is to get them out. The food and weapons in this base should last us for a while. My plan is to wait for them to regain some combat strength, then find a way to take down an enemy logistics base, steal a transport ship, or contact the Air Force and see if they can extract us. If it doesn't work out, I'll lead them to Rocky City to the south, though it's surrounded by the enemy, it will still be somewhat safer."
Rashid looked at Tian Xingjian steadily, then suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder. "Brother, no matter what, I really admire you for making this decision, it's not easy. I'll leave you a squad, one Antenna and one Anger, we'll head back to join the third platoon and head northeast. If there are pursuers, I'll hold them off for a few hours. The rest is up to you."
"No way!" Tian Xingjian firmly refused. "The First Company has its own mission. I've already dragged the whole company down; I can't let the brothers take risks with me."
Rashid angrily retorted, "Are you looking down on us? You can lead hundreds to escape, and I, with a fully armed special reconnaissance team, can't do better? Our mission is to conduct unlimited harassment on enemy rear lines. Taking these guys along counts too. You weren't planning to take down a logistics base without Mechas, were you? Just using these guys' teeth? Nonsense! This is settled, I'll give you Torick, he idolizes you. He said he's never seen anyone handle a gun as well as you."
Recalling Torick's eyes shining with excitement, Rashid smiled and continued, "Do your best, we both need to survive and meet again. I'll make up your welcome party, we won't leave until we're drunk."
Tian Xingjian didn't argue further; any more words were unnecessary at this point. Time was pressing. He solemnly gave Rashid a military salute and said, "It's a deal, we'll meet alive and won't leave until we're drunk."
"Won't leave until we're drunk."
Under the yellow base lights, swarms of unnamed flying insects swirled around, occasionally hitting the bulbs with a sizzling sound. These insects, similar to Earth's moths, were instinctively drawn to heat or light. There's a saying in the East: moths to a flame. Knowing the danger, these moths relentlessly approach the light and heat, even if it means immolating themselves.
Humans, at times, are also like these moths. The innate courage of this ancient Eastern race to knowingly walk into danger for a goal releases immense power. This power is like fire, blood, and scorching lava, capable of destroying everything.
"Who's the moth, and who's the flame?" Rashid wondered as he watched Tian Xingjian stride away.
"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for? At least hold off for 3 hours. I need time."
Fatty's voice from afar interrupted Rashid's thoughts. That bastard had a rightful look on his face, as if to say, "You promised."
"Damn it." Rashid, frustrated, left with the special reconnaissance team soldiers, feeling a desire to strip Fatty and hang him up for display. "That guy, learning so fast to turn his back on us, is even more skilled than me."
He knew, though, that this guy had already entrusted his back to him without hesitation.
Such trust meant both faith and the bond of becoming brothers in life or death, closer than blood brothers.
The soldiers of the First Company knew about the choice made by their beloved deputy commander, Fatty.
"This is a real man, a true hero," they all said.
At parting, they all stepped up to Tian Xingjian, saluting this hero with the highest respect in their hearts.
The hero was extremely moved, with tears in his eyes and his body trembling uncontrollably, unable to say a word.
He was busy trembling.
Fatty was thinking: "Damn it, I acted impulsively just to show off. What a man should do... Staying alive is what matters. Dead people, no matter male or female, are just corpses. Look at everyone, they're all saying their goodbyes to my body, damn it."
The fake hero sent off the people saying their goodbyes and began to devise his escape plan.
It was impossible to walk on foot. A twenty-kilometer journey, and in such a dense forest, these people couldn't make it in a day. Highways to the east and west were also off-limits; using them would be suicidal. There weren't enough mechas adapted for jungle travel; even a deity couldn't produce so many mechas in just a few hours. Besides, most of the Imperial Mechas at the base had been destroyed, and the remaining materials weren't enough.
Although Logic could transform into a small transport ship, it was ultimately just a Single Soldier Mecha, capable of carrying only a dozen people. Transporting everyone was unrealistic. If the interior of the mecha got crammed with people and they encountered the enemy, Logic, unable to transform, would just be a sitting duck.
Ground isn't an option, neither is the sky. The only choice left is underground.
Underground was effective for evading most radar detection. But, if the Empire used their high-altitude reconnaissance satellites, even the deepest tunnel would be revealed. Once the tunnel showed up, they'd be like trapped rats, easily eliminated by a flood of boiling water.
How could they prevent the Empire from using satellites to conduct pinpoint scans around the base? The anti-detection interference device around the base indicated that the Gazalin Empire feared exposing this base to public scrutiny. Committing atrocities recognized by the universe would lead to the Gazalin Royal Family being condemned and sanctioned by human society. They would never allow these prisoners of war to escape, and the pursuit would be relentless. Even if they could eliminate some of the pursuing forces, they were still in enemy territory. Here, the imperial pursuers were like tireless boxers, sending wave after wave to hunt down and kill these Federation prisoners.
Only by having the pursuers witness the death of these prisoners firsthand could their doubts be dispelled.
Tian Xingjian had already decided on the tunnel location—right beneath the highway beside the base! Traveling along the highway, its high-grade surface layer would effectively shield against radar scans. Additionally, the high-strength pavement wouldn't reveal any traces of the underground void.
It could all be achieved with one magic trick. Even the entrance to the tunnel, something that could easily be detected by the enemy, could disappear within the inertia of their thinking.
Having made up his mind, Tian Xingjian enlisted the soldiers from the First Squad of the Second Platoon to help. They began collecting all the vehicles, weapons, ammunition, and compressed energy blocks at the base. Then, they dismantled the destroyed Imperial Mechas.
Several Imperial Mechas, parked in place with their operators killed, became the main targets for Fatty's modifications.
The mechas' mechanical arms and legs were dismantled and assembled into a mobile system for a giant drilling machine. The engine components of the mechas were combined to drive an energy drill fashioned from the disassembled Energy Cannon, after the explosive devices were removed. Other useful parts from various vehicles were welded together into earth compartments, capable of storing food and weapons, significantly easing the burden on the physically weak Federation prisoners. The compartments were equipped with water extractors modified from Imperial drinking water devices, air conditioners and ionic purifiers assembled from the base's garrison club, and an oxygen supply system taken from the base's bio-lab equipment.
A colossal centipede-like underground drilling vehicle was quickly built with everyone's concerted effort. A barracks building at the base was chosen as the tunnel entrance. After breaking down one wall of the barracks, the centipede easily burrowed into the ground. The energy cannons at its front, stripped of their explosive components, emitted a continuous, stable beam, making them unsuitable for combat but perfect for drilling. A tunnel with a diameter of six meters took shape as the centipede's head dug into the earth. The excavated soil was pushed to the sides by its body, with numerous mechanical arms quickly compressing it against the tunnel walls.
All the Federation prisoners, except for a few designated to play a role, followed Torick's reconnaissance team into the tunnel.
Half an hour later, the tunnel had reached beneath the highway and started turning, digging eastward along the road.
At this moment, the communicator relayed Tian Xingjian's order to stop digging. Everyone knew the show on the surface was about to start. A heavy silence filled the entire underground passage as all were deep in prayer.
Meiduo and Nia weren't praying. Tian Xingjian had already brought them too many surprises. In their eyes, there was almost nothing this Fatty couldn't do. Since he arranged it so, he must have a way to get everyone out. Talking about escape, not just the entire universe, but even within the Federation, who would dare claim the number one spot if Fatty claimed second?
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