285: Chapter 285 Planting the Flag

Another week passed, and the war on the continent of Osialia raged on with undiminished intensity. Both sides continued to increase their forces; the roar of artillery was constant and the sky was choked with smoke, showing no sign of stopping.

The towering mountains that were once seen everywhere had been reduced to jagged, scorched cliffs and ruined walls.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the restless and uneasy hearts of the natives.

On the most popular military talk show in the Pokémon World, a middle-aged man known as Teacher Wang adjusted his glasses and said in a heavy voice:

"Some people ask what Osialia will look like after this war is over. I can only say that this continent has long since been battered into ruins. Mountains have become rubble, and rivers have stopped flowing. No matter who wins, it is the people of our world who will ultimately bear the consequences..."

After half a month, they had also figured out who the other power fighting against Third-Party Technology was, because the Verland Company had sent people on warships to distribute flyers to all nations.

The Company claimed to have come with peaceful and friendly intentions, stating they would help them develop technology, build a harmonious society together, and so on.

Hearing Teacher Wang's words, the host adjusted his headset, his face filled with solemnity as he followed up softly, "Teacher Wang, according to what you're saying, even if the Verland Company wins this war and completely wipes out Third-Party Technology, will our world simply fall from one war zone into another situation? Is Verland Company's 'peace and friendship' truly just rhetoric?"

Teacher Wang nodded and said coldly, "Of course. Neither of these two companies from other worlds is any good; they are both fighting for ownership of our world."

"Sigh, I actually hope they fight as fiercely as possible now, ideally ending in mutual destruction, but the possibility of that is too small..."

These words stirred the audience into a frenzy.

"Teacher Wang is truly Teacher Wang; he really dares to speak out. He said exactly what was on my mind."

"Exactly, our government is truly useless, not daring to do anything. Don't we have nuclear bombs? Throw them over there! Let them know the people of our world aren't made of clay."

"Two foreign devils fighting in our home, and we locals don't even have the right to resist. What kind of mess is this! It's frustrating, so frustrating!"

"I'd rather they both suffer and die in Osialia! Ideally, they should fight to the last man, so no one can take our territory!"

"The person above is right, so we can reap the benefits of their conflict."

"..."

The live stream chat was flooded with comments, and the comment section was in an uproar. Some were cursing, some were grief-stricken, and some were in despair.

The atmosphere at the program site also sank to rock bottom. The host opened his mouth, wanting to say something to comfort people, but in the end, it only turned into a heavy sigh, unable to utter another word.

Indeed, what could they do? They were just unarmed natives, the weak caught between two giants. Facing the sky full of artillery fire and the technology and military power that crushed everything, they could do nothing but pray, feel terror, and harbor that tiny, insignificant hope in their hearts.

All they could do was complain a bit online.

...

On the other side, a new wave of the Verland Company's army was ready to go.

Three hundred thousand recruits who had just completed intensive training put on their armor and took up their weapons. Their eyes held some terror, but they were also forced into a degree of ferocity by the murderous aura of the military camp.

Lin Dafang, in his early forties, was one of them. He felt the power brought by the armor—a level of strength he had never experienced in his half-lifetime. He felt both excited and afraid.

He was excited to have become a member of Verland, but afraid because no one could guarantee he would return alive.

"Soldiers, move out!!"

Following the command of the legion commander, this massive force began to advance toward the Mist.

After crossing the Mist, the scene before them caused the recruits' hearts to sink instantly, and even their breathing hitched. The land before them no longer looked like a continent; it was as if it had been scoured by nuclear bombs.

Lin Dafang was also stunned, involuntarily gripping the gun in his hand; only this could give him some sense of security.

At that moment, his Company commander's voice came through the headset: "Soldiers of the Beast Company, follow me! Our Company's mission is to clear the enemies in Sector D12."

A new operation had begun...

Half a month later, Lin Dafang leaned comfortably against a pile of ruins. During this month, he had seen too much life and death. People who were fighting side-by-side with him one moment became cold corpses the next, without even a chance to say goodbye.

Lin Dafang felt extremely lucky to still be alive on such an intense battlefield. He thanked his ancestors for their protection.

According to the Company commander, that Company was already at the end of its rope. Verland's main forces were launching a general offensive, and even the Second Aerospace Fleet from Mars had arrived. They were determined to take it down today.

Lin Dafang didn't need to participate in the final operation; his Company only needed to stay stationed here.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from a distance, making a dull clicking sound as they stepped on the rubble, finally stopping beside Lin Dafang.

Lin Dafang looked up. The newcomer had removed his armor's face mask; he was a man with a Central Continent face, a soldier from the same Company.

"Old Chen, take a seat," Lin Dafang gestured. The other man was also from the Central Continent, and they had met during training, so they were naturally quite familiar.

"Dafang, it's good to be alive," the middle-aged man called Old Chen said as he sat down heavily. He wiped his face casually with his rough palm, smearing black ash and gunpowder residue across it, and couldn't help but spit a few times.

"Hehe, you bet," Lin Dafang said boastfully as he watched the warships constantly flying overhead.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to survive either. It seems changing my name really worked; I'm not so unlucky anymore."

"Oh, what was your name before?" Old Chen asked curiously.

"I didn't have the 'Da'."

"Lin Dafang without the 'Da' is Lin Fang. That name is indeed ordinary, not as good as the current one," Old Chen reacted quickly and clicked his tongue.

Lin Dafang sighed, "Sigh, my parents died early, and I've been a loser for most of my life. I thought I'd change my name to change my luck, so I added the 'Da'. Lin Dafang—wishing for all four directions to be safe and sound. Just staying alive is enough."

"As long as we win this time, I'll start my own family tree when I get back and be the founding ancestor myself."

Old Chen was speechless. "Dafang, don't raise a flag like that."

"What's the big deal? Can this Third-Party Technology really pull any tricks in front of our fleet?"

Lin Dafang pointed at the fleet that blotted out the sun in the sky ahead. "I heard the Second Fleet is much stronger than the Fifth Fleet, and there are nearly 3 million ground troops. What do they have to fight back with!"

"That's true."

Old Chen nodded and looked into the distance. Suddenly, he noticed something was wrong. Why did a curtain of light suddenly appear up ahead?