Chapter 1604
Chapter 1604 - 1600 Battlefront
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7 min read
Before the dark clouds of war loomed, there were often many omens.
And once a large-scale war in the Extraordinary World began, even at a great distance, the aftershocks of the battlefield were inevitable.
When the coasts of the Eastern Country encountered several meters high Tsunami, and the connected Jianghu experienced widespread high tides, even without the barely perceptible earthquakes, it was clear that a war encompassing the entire ocean had begun.
"....Has the Great Counteroffensive failed? When did it happen?" But from the start, all the news was bad.
Lu Ping’an hurriedly returned to the frontline, and as soon as he got off the airship, he directly inquired about the latest battle report.
hours ago, he received news that some countries in Southeast Asia, together with the remnants of the Aus people, and a portion of Western mercenaries, had conducted a paradrop attack.
Their target was the ruins of Aus Country, the former main island of Australia.
If they could take it down... at least neutralize and cut off the Plane gate, it would greatly alleviate the pressure on the frontline, and if they could establish a base there, they might even sever the ever-expanding Alien Race Legion.
"It has been confirmed as a failure, at least five Quasi-Gods have perished according to radar readings..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an paused for a moment, somewhat surprised.
Not that he was surprised those retaliatory nations could muster five Quasi-Gods, but rather that such beings were usually old and cunning, with exceedingly tenacious Life Forces; they would flee if they couldn’t win, so how did they all fall so quickly?
"During the battle, that Plane entrance suddenly expanded by several kilometers in range, directly sweeping everyone into it. Those dead Quasi-Gods can be said to have died in the Exotic Realm. The massive influx of Exotic Realm seawater that followed caused our sea level to rise slightly and the Tsunami..."
Lu Ping’an understood, they had stepped right into a one-time Trap laid out by the enemy.
𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Facing those higher-level beings in the Exotic Realm, possibly even Clones of the Octopus, the combination of being outnumbered and ill-adapted to the soil and water with no way back, it made sense that the Quasi-Gods endured heavy losses.
"What is the Official stance of the Eastern Country?"
"We’ve confirmed from inside sources that our people were always trying to organize a united front, hoping that by joining forces, we’d have a better chance of launching a decisive counteroffensive..."
"Were they rejected?"
"Some believe our actions are impure, wishing to take advantage of the opportunity to expand our realm all the way to the Southern Archipelagos and Aus. Others have distrusted us from the start... mainly the Aus people and Westerners."
Lu Ping’an sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.
He himself couldn’t be sure whether the Easterners really intended to take the entire Southern Sea Area and Australia... cough, what he meant was that those countries were too hasty, and measured others by their small-mindedness, making those wastelands worthless to the Eastern Country.
"The truly anxious ones are from Huaqi? Did they organize this?"
"Very likely, two prominent Huaqi Quasi-Gods arrived, one died, and although there were no official Huaqi Military forces involved, there were mercenaries and their weapons..."
Browsing through the battle reports and intelligence, Lu Ping’an’s guesses were basically confirmed as fact.
Since the day the Plane War erupted, the Archipelago, Southeast Asia, and Australians had been incessantly urging the Eastern Country to send troops to resolve the issue.
But obviously, the Eastern Country was not ready, nor would they let the requests of other countries disrupt their own plans... thus those nations eager to take action sought out other powerful countries.
Through the relationship with the Aus people, reaching out to the West was a natural course of action, and with enough money, recruiting Advanced Combat Powers and mercenaries wasn’t difficult, and the remaining force could be assembled at the frontline.
What made Lu Ping’an’s skin crawl was the loss of five Quasi-Gods and an unknown number of Rule-level forces... likely the Advanced Combat Power of those small coastal countries was entirely depleted in that assault; what would they do next?
"Typical of their style... Now is it our turn to clean up after them?"
"Crude, but indeed that is the reality of the situation. This battle has worsened the environment, and we must bear the burden ourselves. The good news is, the Trap was originally meant for us..."
This was the only consolation he could give himself; this Trap was bound to be sprung eventually, it only mattered who would bear the consequences.
This time, at least the Easterners themselves had not suffered any losses.
At this moment, Lu Ping’an sensed that something was off.
"....Can you tell me honestly if we had prior knowledge of this?"
The Intelligence Officer before Lu Ping’an was also very direct, since everyone was on the same side, none were naive youngsters.
"Not sure... But it’s impossible that this level of deployment could have escaped our intelligence department. Moreover, two days before the battle, all military regions received orders to be on alert, and it was said that several Quasi-Gods were on the frontline."
This implication was almost an outright statement, and Lu Ping’an got the message instantly.
Lu Ping’an was silent for a moment, not delving further, and began to examine the losses from the Tsunami on their side.
After all, waiting for allies to step on a mine was indeed unkind... but upon reflection, it was an inevitability, impossible to stop. Unlike the Eastern Country that was fully prepared for war, those frontline coastal countries whose hometowns and homes were being invaded couldn’t wait.
"...Have our supplies and warriors arrived? The new warships?"
When it came to possibly reaching the stage where war approached, this "Vice Admiral in appearance" became increasingly reliable.
He knew the Octopus; normal war controllers fought for interest and would continuously weigh and consider the best strategies and layouts. But that entity was a super beast; once it had the upper hand in hunger, it would naturally go on a killing spree, feasting to its content.
"The Soldiers have reported in at 40%, and only one warship has just been delivered for now, which is still some distance away from the expected twelve large vessels for the Third Fleet in the Southern Sea Area..."
".....Don’t get it wrong, we’re the Coast Guard, not the Navy, even though most of us hold military ranks and titles, and our chief superiors are from the Ministry of National Defense and not the Security Department."
Lu Ping’an kindly reminded, until certain steps were completed, his force was primarily a law enforcement Coast Guard rather than a legitimate army capable of killing.
"...If everything goes as expected, we will officially be a Coast Guard next month."
Then the secretary brought new news, and it seemed that with the collapse at the frontline, many things were being expedited.
The United Parliament was set to legalize the military formation of defense forces at the fastest speed... which also meant that material, human resources, and the war machine would reach the frontline even quicker.
With the collapse of the frontline, it was impossible for Lu Ping’an to hide in the rear anymore.
He began to get directly involved, at least to figure out how much force he had on hand since he might very well need to join the frontline himself.
The loss of the frontline naturally led to the loss of coastlines everywhere... The Octopus’ greed was endless; they would attack all Life as sacrificial offering.
But amidst all the bad news, there was some good news finally.
"...There were Quasi-Gods on the Octopus side that perished in battle? Hey, and there’s information on those advanced forces?" This intelligence could be the price of their sacrifice.
— End of Chapter 1604 —