367: Chapter 357 If you won't move, I'll have to do it myself.

The sun dipped below the horizon, its afterglow illuminating the earth and coating everything in The World with a golden layer.

A "monster" clad in this golden coat let out a thunderous roar. Its treads left deep ruts in the grass as it climbed to the top of a slope, its seemingly harmless thick, round cannon barrel swiveling to the right.

It was massive, but the patrol squad had seen larger things, such as the Pack Rhino.

Yet, even when they saw a Pack Rhino for the first time, they hadn't been as shocked as they were today, the word "monster" escaping their lips.

Because the monster stopped atop the slope was definitely not a biological creature.

"Cap... Captain, should we... should we drive away the enemy?" a squad member asked, swallowing hard and speaking haltingly.

The patrol squad's orders were to expel the Lake squad wandering the edge of the plains. Now that the enemy had appeared before them, they should have launched an attack immediately.

But at this moment, they didn't feel they had the capability to do so.

Behind them, in the clearing where the Rhinoceros Cavalry squad had originally been, the dozen or so Pack Rhinos and their riders had already vanished.

Of course, the knight captain didn't think the Rhinoceros squad had fled, because severed limbs and broken arms—both of riders and Pack Rhinos—were scattered messily around a charred crater on the ground.

The knight captain and his members didn't know what had happened in just a few short minutes, or what kind of attack could cause such a tragic scene.

"Fortunately," they soon witnessed it with their own eyes.

In the distance, three cavalry squads attracted by the loud noise came galloping from different directions.

They were lucky enough to immediately spot the monster stopped atop the slope, and they raised their whips to lash the rumps of the Pack Rhinos, initiating a charge.

Unfortunately, they didn't see their comrades who had been turned into "spare parts."

Seeing the grand momentum of the three cavalry squads, the Pack Rhinos stampeding as if to crush the earth, the knight captain couldn't help but feel a slight surge of excitement.

They could win.

That monster had only taken advantage of a sneak attack; now...

"Boom—"

A blast interrupted his thoughts and froze the smile that had just begun to rise on his face.

He saw the monster's round tube recoil slightly, emitting a puff of rapidly dissipating thick smoke. Then, one of the three cavalry squads seemed to be struck directly in the center by a magic crystal cannon; the cavalry and Pack Rhinos were blown flying in all directions.

"A ma... magic crystal cannon?" a squad member asked in shock.

The dazed knight captain snapped out of it: "The range of a magic crystal cannon isn't this long."

The squad member beside him forced a smile: "Whatever it is, look, the other two squads have already closed in on it. The iron hooves of the Pack Rhinos will..."

Before he could finish, four identical monsters crawled up the slope on either side of the first one. Then, their round tubes recoiled.

"Boom—"

In an instant, the two cavalry squads were annihilated.

The squad member's expression went blank: "Captain, should we... should we, flee?"

"Flee..." The knight captain looked at the round tube turning toward him, a miserable smile on his face. "Can't... flee..."

"Boom—"

...

Inside the tank's cockpit.

"Bal, there seems to be a patrol over there," the observer said.

"Already taken care of," Bal replied with a smile after firing the cannon.

"Good job," the tank commander said loudly.

Bal didn't pay much mind to the commander's praise. Instead, he looked around the cockpit with a burning gaze, as if he were looking at a lover.

Even though this wasn't the first time he had sat in a tank cockpit.

The commander beside him watched him, wondering what Bal's background was.

The personnel for the Armored Corps had been finalized half a year ago, with no newcomers allowed in between. Yet this guy was personally delivered by the Marshal on the eve of the war, with special instructions to pull the best gunners to train him day and night to ensure he became a qualified gunner before the war started.

Bal seemed to sense it and turned his head, his eyes meeting the commander's scrutinizing gaze.

The commander looked away somewhat awkwardly, and Bal sighed helplessly.

He knew that some rumors about him had been circulating in the Armored Corps recently.

For example, that he was a secret member of the royal family, or the young master of some prominent Magic Family in Lake. The most absurd rumor even claimed he was the Marshal's illegitimate son.

What drove Bal crazy was that this last theory actually had the most supporters!

Please, the Marshal is younger than me, okay?

Have you ever seen a biological father younger than his child?

At first, Bal tried to clarify that he wasn't the child of any big shot, but just a Soldier stationed at the border.

Although he was a squad leader and not at the very bottom, he had absolutely no connection to the nobility.

He spoke earnestly and seemed credible, yet a single sentence from a comrade rendered all his explanations pale and weak.

"If it's really as you say, why would the Marshal personally deliver you here?"

To this day, they had never seen anyone receive such importance from the Marshal.

Now, knowing the commander wouldn't believe his explanation, Bal still said, "Commander, I'm really not the Marshal's illegitimate son."

The commander gave him a smug look, as if he had seen through everything. "I didn't ask if you were the Marshal's illegitimate son, did I?"

"Uh, I..."

Forget it.

Bal gave up and asked, "All enemies within visual range have been eliminated. Requesting next instructions."

Speaking of official business, the commander restrained his teasing smile and flipped the wireless communication switch on the dashboard: "The enemy and arriving reinforcements have been eliminated. Requesting next instructions."

A voice came from the perforated speaker on the dashboard: "Our snipers have suffered many casualties recently."

"Understood!"

The tank engines roared again as five jungle-camouflaged M1A2s headed down the slope.

Just as they drove down, more tanks climbed up the slope, following the tire tracks in pursuit.

...

At the Command Post hidden deep in the mountains.

After relaying the orders, Domit turned and walked to Zhang Mu, who was sitting in the corner. "Marshal, our tank group encountered enemy cavalry squads in the hilly terrain. After five minutes of engagement, the enemy was completely wiped out. It seems the defense of the Pack Rhinos cannot withstand 120mm shells."

...

After hearing the good news, Zhang Mu asked, "How many tanks did you send?"

"Twenty-five."

Zhang Mu raised an eyebrow. "You should have read the 'On War' I gave you."

"If the coalition had missiles, this would indeed be a failure, but they clearly do not."

"Mm." Zhang Mu nodded. "What do you think the coalition's move will be after they receive the news?"

"If we hadn't deployed the Armored Corps, they would have launched an attack recently. Now... they will certainly remain stationary."

...

"For how long?"

"Until they have a preliminary understanding of the tanks."

"Then let's not wait any longer." Zhang Mu stood up. "If you won't move, then I'll have to. Domit."

...

"Present!"

"The coalition's strength has been fully gauged. Let's not waste any more time. Drive them out, and then counterattack."

Hearing the last part, Domit asked in confusion, "Counterattack? Our troop numbers might be slightly insufficient."

...

Heavy weapons indeed crushed low-level Professionals and ordinary legions, provided the heavy weapons were deployed in scale. If the disparity in troop numbers was too vast, they would inevitably have their ammunition exhausted by the opponent and then be surrounded and destroyed.

...

Zhang Mu didn't explain. "Just focus on formulating the battle plan."

"Yes!"

Afterward, Zhang Mu left the Command Post, opened a light gate to enter "The World," and went to Geoffrey's research institute to ask about the development progress.

Geoffrey puffed out his chest and reported.

magic-conducting radar had been successfully developed and had entered mass production. Due to some technical bottlenecks that hadn't been broken through yet, production was limited.

The magic-conduction process for other firearms was also steadily progressing.

Unlike what the two had discussed before, Geoffrey did not make artillery shells secondary to magic.

On the contrary, he decided to keep them as they were, primarily using shells for damage and using magic to amplify their power.

The reason for this consideration was the Magic Shield of mages.

Through testing, it was found that the Magic Shield primarily defended against magic and performed mediocrely against physical attacks.

Although it could block the slashes of knight Professionals, that was because knight Professionals themselves didn't rely on pure strength to break through defenses, but rather on the magic infused into their weapons.

So, the two were essentially the same.

Geoffrey figured that if he knew the Magic Shield could effectively block magic, and he had an attack method that bypassed its strengths, wouldn't he be crazy to insist on using magic to fight the opponent head-on instead?

Zhang Mu's interest was piqued after hearing this, and he asked if there were any samples.

Geoffrey immediately led him to the testing area.

In a pure white space, a tank stood quietly.

The tank had clearly undergone extensive modifications; Zhang Mu could barely recognize it as an M1A2 from its silhouette.

Its body paint was outlined with complex patterns, which were the lines that formed a Magic Array.

Zhang Mu walked around it once. "Start it up and let's see."

Geoffrey turned and called for a tester to board the vehicle.

Not long after the tester entered, the patterns on the tank's hull lit up with a dim blue light, and it slowly began to drive forward.

Zhang Mu didn't hear the thunderous roar of an engine. "The power system has been changed?"

"Yes, I think driving it with a magic core is more convenient. This is not only reflected in replenishing energy but also in the portability of backup energy."

That was indeed true.

The interior of a tank was already extremely cramped. After loading shells, how much room would be left for gasoline?

magic crystals were much more convenient; they were palm-sized and could be stuffed into a pocket or even sat upon.

"Fire a shot."

"About that..." Geoffrey looked troubled. "The fire control system is still being perfected."

Zhang Mu said in surprise, "You're planning to modify the fire control system too?"

"Not planning, I've already started modifying it."

"How long will it take?"

"Uh... City Lord, you know how scientific research is. There's no such thing as a fixed deadline."

Well, he hadn't even been to the Blue Star yet, but he had already learned a lot about the local culture.

Zhang Mu laughed in spite of himself and shook his head. "Fine, try to be as fast as possible. Before long, Lake will counterattack the coalition, and that's when the magic-conducting weapons will have to make their debut."

"Do you plan to unify the Saul Continent?" Geoffrey had been staying in "The World" and had heard some rumors about the outside world, but he didn't know much, as Zhang Mu only mentioned a few things when he visited.

"It's not that I want to unify the Saul Continent, it's that the entire continent wants to be my enemy."

"Then... there are a great many things to prepare." Geoffrey knew nothing about governing a country, but he knew a little. "Like the officials who will take over as City Lords after capturing enemy countries."

"Just set up schools. I already had that plan."

This school would not be like those in China, with the function of dispelling the ignorance of the masses and enlightening them.

Zhang Mu had never thought about starting a red revolution on the Saul Continent. Perhaps in the future after unifying the continent, but definitely not now.

Given the current situation, an imperial system was more applicable.

Zhang Mu pondered for a moment, said, "Get back to work, I'm leaving," and then left "The World," activating his Shadow Technique to head toward the coalition camp.

...

The coalition camp.

Unlike the festive atmosphere of the previous days when they had achieved great results, the atmosphere in the camp was now heavy. Even the Soldiers resting in their tents during shift changes dared not chat. The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, with only the rhythmic footsteps of the patrolling Soldiers.

"What on earth is this?!" Inside the Commander-in-Chief's tent, Novak held a shadow recording crystal. In the light screen projected by the crystal, a tank was moving slowly.

Clearly, no one in the coalition could solve his confusion. The tent was quiet, with only the slight sound of his and Brando's breathing.

Novak's expression was grim.

He was extremely puzzled as to what corner of the continent Lake—no, Zhang Mu—had sprung from. He was like a devil who had managed to churn out so many unfamiliar weapons.

Brando stared at the light screen in wonder. "It doesn't look like a biological creature."

"Anyone who isn't blind can see that." Novak closed the shadow recording crystal, and the light screen vanished. "What biological creature could release an attack similar to a magic crystal cannon?"

Withdrawing his gaze, Brando asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

Novak lowered his head in silence. To hell with this war.

To be honest, he missed his mother a little now. Although his mother often picked up a broom to beat him, at least she wouldn't torture him like this.

He felt like he was being driven mad by Zhang Mu's torture.

Every time he thought the opponent had reached their limit and played their trump card, something new would immediately appear.

Novak had to consider whether the opponent had even more new things.

If they did, the coalition could not rashly attack.

In a war, it was a major taboo for the enemy to possess intelligence that one's own side had not obtained; it could very likely lead to the threat of total annihilation.

At this moment, the thought of withdrawing his troops couldn't help but rise in Novak's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Things had developed to the point where there was no longer any room for maneuver. One side had to perish before it could be declared over.

Brando's mood, on the other hand, was much lighter.

Although he was in the coalition camp, he hadn't taken action even once from beginning to end, so he naturally didn't worry that Zhang Mu would retaliate against him.

As for whether Lake's counterattack against the coalition would also take care of Kingdom along the way...

He smiled to himself.

"Mr. Brando, do you have any ideas regarding the current situation?" Brando had made several suggestions that were very effective, so Novak had a certain amount of trust in him.

"Ideas..." Brando stood up and walked toward the outside of the tent. "I need to think about it in a quiet place."

Novak thought to himself, 'There are only the two of us here, is it not quiet enough?'

However, he didn't say much. He let Brando lift the curtain and walk out, hoping that when he returned, he would be able to solve his troubles.

If someone with even a slight understanding of war knew of his thoughts, they would surely tell him that as a commander, if you pin all your hopes on someone unrelated to the war, you have already lost.

There was no such person here at the moment, so Novak sat in his chair and waited expectantly.

He waited for a full half-hour. Just as he was getting anxious, the tent curtain was finally lifted.

"Bra..." Novak grew excited, but he saw that it was his adjutant who had entered. "What is it?"

"Marshal, Mr. Brando said that Kingdom has urgent matters to attend to and has already departed. Before leaving, he asked me to express his apologies for not being able to say goodbye in person."

"What?!" Novak cried out in shock.