283: Chapter 283 The Fifth Space Fleet

Looking at the damaged silver-white firearm in his hand, the middle-aged officer fell into thought. This was the very weapon he had just scavenged from an enemy corpse, the tool they had relied on to pierce armor; it still held a lingering, unspent warmth.

It was much more compact than the Gauss Rifle in his own hands, yet its power was astonishingly formidable.

There was no doubt that this evil corporation, which harbored delusions of occupying the New World, was a powerful adversary for Verland. The middle-aged officer looked toward the main battlefield with a solemn expression.

Continuous, deafening roars echoed from the direction of the main battlefield.

Their Company was but a small corner of this massive war. Yet, even at such an inconspicuous flank, they had to pay the price of nearly total annihilation to wipe out the enemy. The tragedy and cruelty of the main battlefield were simply beyond imagination.

The ground beneath their feet must have been shaved down layer by layer.

The middle-aged officer took a deep breath, his gaze becoming firm once more. He firmly believed that victory would ultimately be theirs.

It would ultimately belong to the millions of Verland soldiers who shed blood and refused to retreat!

The middle-aged soldier shouted loudly, "Soldiers, clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible. We must continue our march!"

"Aaron! Aaron, wake up! I beg you, wake up..."

Suddenly, a voice of extreme grief rang out from the position. It was a young soldier, half-kneeling on the ground, his hands desperately shaking two cold bodies on the earth.

Someone let out a sigh. Everyone knew that for this young man, the sky had collapsed.

Arthur's shoulders trembled; both of his older brothers had died in this battle.

The middle-aged soldier walked over and patted his shoulder. "Be strong, soldier. I remember your name is Arthur, right? Your two brothers died on a field of glory. Your parents will be proud of them."

These three brothers were already somewhat famous within the Company. Their marksmanship was top-tier, and they were the Company's best hands. The middle-aged officer had heard of them long ago; seeing them meet such an end, he could only feel it was a pity.

Arthur's voice choked with sobs. "I... our parents died long ago. The three of us grew up in a children's welfare home."

The middle-aged officer froze for a moment and said, "Arthur, sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"But you must pull yourself together. We need to win this victory. Your family is still waiting for you to return!!"

Arthur's expression became even more bitter.

"Sir, my wife cheated on me, and the child isn't even mine. I have no home left..."

"How is that possible? You are a soldier of Verland!" The middle-aged officer was shocked.

"She looked down on me for being 'small,' sir. Do you understand how that feels..."

Middle-aged officer: ...

The officer remained silent for a moment before saying in a heavy voice, "Arthur, there are millions of orphans in this world. Some live like cowards, and some accept their fate. Do you want to be an ant cowering in a corner, or a Verland soldier holding a gun?"

Without waiting for an answer, the officer asked again: "And do you think when your brothers left, they wanted you to cry yourself to death here, or did they want you to live and kill all these Third-Party Technology scumbags for them?"

These words were like a sharp blade that jolted Arthur awake.

Yes, he had nothing left.

His parents were long gone, his brothers were all dead; he was all alone, with no ties or worries.

In this world, there was no longer anyone to make him turn back, no longer any thoughts to make him hesitate.

Except for revenge!

Arthur slowly raised his head. His blood-stained face still bore tear tracks, and his eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at the pile of dead Third-Party Technology soldiers.

It was all because of them that his brothers had died.

"Sir, I understand."

Arthur said each word deliberately as he stood up again. From now on, his gun would be aimed for his brothers.

His life would be fought for Verland.

For the rest of his life, there would only be slaughter, only revenge, and only victory!

Seeing this, the middle-aged officer felt greatly relieved.

He then turned around and roared in a deep voice to all the surviving soldiers: "Check your ammunition! Fall in and move out! Today, we fight for our fallen brothers, for our homeless compatriots, and for the glory of Verland!"

Morale surged once again.

At that moment, a soldier cleaning up the battlefield walked over and said to the officer, "Sir, I've discovered that these people have no brains."

"What do you mean?" The middle-aged officer frowned.

The soldier replied, "When I opened their skulls just now, I found that their cerebrums were missing. They only have a cerebellum and a brainstem..."

The middle-aged officer went to check and found it was exactly as he said. All the people sent by this corporation were like this.

Androids?

The officer instinctively thought of them. There had been similar existences in his own world before—specialized personnel created by humans.

But because they became restless later on, the Android Project was canceled.

[The Fifth Aerospace Fleet has arrived]

While the middle-aged officer was hesitating, a notification from the combat system rang in his communication headset. The officer was startled, then immediately overjoyed.

"It's our reinforcements! Our Verland fleet has arrived!"

The other soldiers also learned of this information and raised their guns in cheer.

Through the visual enhancement systems of their armor, they could see above the Mist behind them. Hundreds of mountain-like ships emerged from it, occupying the entire sky of the main battlefield in an instant.

The entire Verland Fifth Aerospace Fleet was layered with ships in a tight formation. The low-frequency resonance of the engines crushed the clouds, making the scorched earth beneath their feet tremble. The majestic pressure was overwhelming, and even the smoke across the land was scattered by the air currents of the fleet's passage.

The smallest Assault Ships were 200 meters long. This was the Verland Aerospace Fleet, an iron army that galloped across the sea of stars!

Above the heavens, except for the three main ships, the dense kinetic orbital cannons of the other warships began to aim at the battlefield below. Then, thousands of muzzles merged into a sea of silver-white light, illuminating the entire sky.

This was the light bursting from the magnetic fields of the cannon barrels as the tungsten alloy slugs were charged and accelerated within the Orbital Kinetic Cannons.

The roar of the shells hitting the ground resounded throughout the entire battlefield.

It was truly an apocalyptic scene.

With the fleet's assistance, in that single moment, Verland's main forces felt the resistance ahead vanish. Clearly, the enemy had suffered a heavy blow.

This sight made the middle-aged officer and his subordinates in their corner of the battlefield boil with excitement. The fatigue from the bloody battle was swept away, and everyone straightened their backs and gripped their firearms tightly.

The officer looked up at the sky, watching the fleet that blotted out the sun and the gunfire crossing the heavens. His eyes were filled with extreme exhilaration and determination. He raised his arm and shouted:

"Soldiers of Verland! The fleet has cleared the path, full firepower! The enemy is routed, and victory is in sight! Charge with me, flatten their positions, and avenge our fallen compatriots! For Verland, fight to the end!"

"Revenge!! Fight for Verland!!"

Arthur roared hoarsely, his eyes blood-red and filled with heaven-toppling hatred.