Chapter 684
Chapter 684 - 670: Tributaries of History
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What does it feel like to kill someone, and what does it feel like to take another person’s life for the first time...
"...Actually, I don’t feel anything."
There was no inner struggle or uneasiness like in movies or TV shows, and there was no vomit-inducing physical discomfort either.
If killing could be done easily, life would not be as noble as it is said to be. When a professional soldier is determined to kill, it becomes a routine job.
The only difference is that the targets of killing have changed from magic monsters to ordinary humans just like themselves.
The golden wolf pack opened up, and a vague golden sea appeared. Gunfire from the sentries blossomed among the wolf pack.
Accompanied by screams, the brilliance of the flames turned into the glow of blood, and "bloody flowers" bloomed on the ground.
The Vortex Stone-made gunfire is indeed powerful, but the limited number of shots per round determines their fate among the beast swarm... especially when facing a Beast Tamer’s beast swarm.
Under the Beast Tamer’s command, the Beast King "Little An" kept roaring. Even though beasts in the wolf pack kept falling, the swarm showed no signs of retreat.
One after another, slightly bigger "knights" either led the charge, cunningly circled around and invaded, or hid within the beast swarm, waiting for the moment to launch a lethal blow.
The initial losers, who were not even considered "soldiers", were just ordinary beasts that had lost in elimination, at best they had undergone some simple demonization.
As the pressure on the frontlines increased, wave after wave of wolf packs charged. After launching two desperate rounds of attacks against the beasts and competitors, the sentry posts were dragged out from the buildings by the beast swarm.
"...Do we need to restrain a bit?"
"Keep an officer to gather intelligence, and for the others... save some food expenses."
The ruthless battlefield left no room for mercy. Since they dared to act, they had to take responsibility.
Standing in the back, Lu Ping’an pulled his coat tighter, as the chill of the early morning was quite heavy. At this moment, a hot cup of cocoa or coffee would be perfect...
Looking at the coffee cup handed over by Zhi Xi, Lu Ping’an was a little puzzled.
"Where did this come from?" It’s obviously freshly made.
"From their camp. It smells really good. Hurry up and share it with me."
The touching moment just now vanished in an instant. This is still indeed his own "intimate little cotton-padded jacket".
"Huh, this is actually not bad..."
After taking a sip, the familiar yet slightly different taste surprised him. He never expected to find a taste of home among the spoils of war here.
However, the other spoils of war made people feel a bit subtle...
"Red Star and Hammer Shoulder Badge... These people, they’ve gone too far."
According to the interrogation results, these items were all spoils of war taken by the mercenaries, and their sources were naturally from the previous visitors.
Aus people... The Hod company was very hospitable to their own compatriots who trespassed on their territory.
"Tsk, they have some nerve, even daring to touch Red Star’s people."
"As long as the profits are high enough, they would dare to touch even their own president, let alone foreigners."
The Red Star Republic is not the vast and old empire of the past that Lu Ping’an imagined... In 1999, the dramatic changes of 1991 did not happen, and although there were many problems and issues, it was still one of the top three superpowers on Earth.
All this probably has to start with the "pollution".
This world, similar but not quite the same as the planet in Lu Ping’an’s memory, was marked by the presence of "pollution," which brought immense pressure and a sense of crisis to countless civilians and political systems. It directly led history, politics, and culture down divergent paths.
For example, in the Eastern Country, due to safety threats faced by various regions, cities, and even villages, local forces have inevitably become "mercenary-reliant." When local strongmen hold sway, central power wanes, and ultimately it turns into the State Parliament rather than a central cluster in the true sense.
The existence of supernatural forces also turned the "Church" and "corporations" into actual armed organizations. Before the implementation of the Explorer system, they could completely ignore the government and become a de facto state within a state.
"This is not Earth, nor the country or the world I am familiar with..."
Lu Ping’an himself was aware early on that this seemed more like an otherworldly world that had evolved on its own for hundreds or thousands of years due to the presence of "pollution" on a similar world template.
Some historical events happened, some didn’t, and some took place but with changed nature and specifics.
For instance, the powerful northern neighbor of the Eastern Country was still alive and well... The reason was simple: they always had powerful military and armed forces. The small and medium-sized countries that should have been part of the coalition, on the other hand, needed the help of a strong military force in that environment, even if that support was often late in coming.
The Red Star Republic exhibited all the defects of a superpower: arrogance, dominance, and decay. However, due to historical contingencies, its "ideology" was not as radical as the one in Lu Ping’an’s memory.
The existence of "pollution" and the "Foreign Domain" diverted its attention more to its vast territory, and it did not act as domineeringly as the world inspector incurring the wrath of Heaven and men... Most importantly, from the very beginning, it was not as vast and complete as that superpower in his previous life.
External conflicts promoted internal unity, and the people’s survival pressure reduced their pursuit of a better quality of life. As a result, although the Red Star Republic had an outrageous number of problems, it still managed to survive well. It ranked among the top three in UT through its economic performance in the top ten on Earth and military strength in the top two.
Due to historical divergence... The Eastern Country and the Red Star had really waged war on each other. Although they are now "allies," the number of troops stationed near the border on both sides remains quite exaggerated.
Moreover, the powerful Red Star led the Moon God from the Silent Mountain Range World to choose that cold northern country.
Aus Independent State, on the other hand, took a different approach... At a time when "pollution" was still associated with demons, witches, and wizards, it was the farthest eastern land from the western continents and an "unclaimed territory" in some sense.
Various Evil God Churches, taboo researchers, and extremists driven out of the West found refuge among the settlers on that vast "isolated island."
Naturally, they lived quite wildly and "freely" there... This also directly led to the "independent" origins of the Aus Independent State.
It is hard to say what exactly happened back then, but it is a fact that more than 90% of the original inhabitants were gone. Frequently, exiled "big shots" from the West came here to make a living, bringing new bloodshed and a reshuffling of power.
In a sense, they were very "cyberpunk"... Some technologies might even be a hundred years ahead of the world, while many people still labored for today’s lunch and sought inner relief in several churches.
There, the power of large corporations and churches was quite substantial, and the current president was merely a coordinator and representative chosen by those major forces. The country’s inception was also the latest among all countries.
This essentially reflects the trend of the world and the era. In a world where superheroes and supernatural deities exist and where pollution is rampant, a central government unable to provide "security" will naturally lose the responsibility and obligation to protect its citizens. As a result, power is taken away.
"These Aus people are really daring..."
Lu Ping’an and his group had a quick clean-up and found seven tattered Red Star Republic military medals and ribbons, two uniforms, and a pair of uniquely styled military knives... These were the spoils of war of the Aus mercenaries—a token of "honor" they had gained from the superpower.
"What do you think? When did these things come?"
This question was actually quite delicate.
Nominally, the treaty countries of the Explorer system had "no" foreign exploration before signing the agreement. Of course, everyone knew that was just a nominal matter. The real problem was the lack of channels for civilian forces, as well as small and medium-sized churches and corporations without their own independent "ships."
The Red Star was a signatory to the Explorer Treaty. On the surface, they had no otherworldly bases before then, which was, of course, only true on paper, just like the Eastern Country people had no otherworldly military bases, in theory... So what was the ongoing fierce battle between them and the Aus people?
If the Red Star people arrived early and were subsequently expelled by the Aus people, it wouldn’t matter much—it would be just a small-scale conflict.
With so many dying in the Exotic Realm every day, even those who want to seek revenge don’t know where to start... In the remote Exotic Realm, the only one who can protect you is yourself.
"The stuff is all very new, and it matches the officer’s confession. About a month and a half ago... Those Red Star people should have taken the normal route (Explorer ship tickets) to get here."
"...This is going to be fun."
Whether the Red Star people had a team already focusing on this planet, their reinforcements were on the way, or there were still survivors struggling on their home soil, it all meant that the situation had become more complicated.
Allies? In this otherworld, one should not "presume" allies, especially in the face of enormous interests.
— End of Chapter 684 —