398: Chapter 385: The Technical Department is Established. Bloodbath! Bloodbath!

With the general offensive imminent, Zhang Mu left the Command Post and entered "The World."

It wasn't that he believed their advantage was so great that the outcome of the decisive battle with the coalition was no longer in doubt, requiring no oversight; rather, he trusted Domit's abilities.

To be honest, Domit's talent as a Professional was indeed mediocre.

Having practiced for decades to promote to a High-level Knight, he was barely considered outstanding compared to most Professionals who were stuck at the mid-level for life. However, if he pursued the future, he had no hope of reaching the peak of the Professional ranks in this lifetime.

Zhang Mu hadn't originally intended to appoint Domit to such an important position; after all, it was best for the personal strength of the supreme commander of the army to reach a certain level, at least enough for self-preservation.

However, some things happened later that changed Zhang Mu's mind.

After Domit came into contact with military-related books, he fully demonstrated his talent. Not only did he lead his peers by a wide margin in war game simulations, but his understanding of military strategy was also very rapid and thorough.

Furthermore, in the great battle of the Silent Forest against Lagu, he proved that he was not like Zhao Kuo.

High-tier Professionals were rare, but by investing resources regardless of the cost, some could eventually be trained. However, there were very few people with the talent of a marshal.

This sort of thing relied purely on talent—either you had it or you didn't. For the latter, even if massive resources were spent on training, their upper limit would barely reach the bottom tier, making it more trouble than it was worth.

Zhang Mu entered "The World" and went straight to Geoffrey, muttering to himself that his luck was quite good. If it weren't for Domit, he really wouldn't have been able to find a suitable candidate nearby to lead the entire army.

Arriving at the laboratory, Zhang Mu was about to wander around when Geoffrey saw him and immediately pounced over, clamoring that a Technical Department must be established and that it had to be formal.

Zhang Mu was stunned, thinking to himself, isn't what you have right now a technical department?

Moreover, since he was given money and people whenever he asked, why did he care about whether it was formal or not?

He asked out of curiosity, and Geoffrey immediately began to pour out his grievances.

Zhang Mu had indeed provided him with many assistants, but all of them came from the Resistance Army—that is to say, they were genuine Farmers.

Naturally, these people didn't understand how to research magic-conducting weapons. Geoffrey had tried to teach them, only to find that let alone advanced Physics and magic-conducting knowledge, even a simple mathematical formula had to be explained repeatedly before they could understand it.

It was undeniable that they worked conscientiously and responsibly and followed Geoffrey's orders strictly, but these things weren't of much help to research work.

What Geoffrey needed were Professionals.

It didn't matter if there were none now; he could hold the fort alone.

But what about later?

One had to realize that the types of weapons Zhang Mu brought were increasing. If he had to develop a corresponding magic-conducting weapon for every type, Geoffrey worried he would one day drop dead on the experimental table.

Therefore, the training of Professional talent had to be put on the agenda.

After hearing this, Zhang Mu really felt a bit of a headache.

Professional talent was easy to find—there were plenty on Blue Star—but could they be used?

"Buddy, I have an Other World, and now I need you to go research weapons. You can name your price for the benefits. You in?"

If Zhang Mu spoke to people like that, he would either be treated as a lunatic or labeled a scammer.

Geoffrey understood his difficulty, thought for a moment, and asked, "I heard you built several schools in Lake. Can you transfer some people from the schools to me?"

"Those students?

They... there's no need to worry about leaks, they can be used. The problem is that when the schools were built, the priority was to ensure the production of the Armory, so the knowledge taught was very specific. Uh, I expect they won't be much different from the current assistants."

Geoffrey's face darkened: "Lord City Lord, you wouldn't want the development progress of magic-conducting weapons to be too slow, would you?"

"I'll find a way." Upon hearing this, Zhang Mu made a promise without hesitation.

Having received an affirmative answer, Geoffrey happily went back to work, while Zhang Mu scratched his head and returned to Keton City, sitting in his office to think of a solution.

...

"Marshal Novak, you're finally here."

Novak walked into the meeting room and saw marshals from various countries wearing armor or robes sitting around the long table. Acquaintances among them stood up to greet him.

"Sorry, I'm late." Novak sat in the last empty seat.

The person in the main seat tapped the table: "Since everyone is here, let the meeting begin."

Despite saying so, everyone lowered their heads, and the meeting room became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Novak glanced left and right and spoke up: "I'll go first."

The silence in the meeting room was broken, and the oppressed crowd breathed a sigh of relief, looking up at him.

After a brief pause, Novak said, "Lake has been counterattacking aggressively lately. Aside from those of us present, all other Kingdoms have fallen."

With someone starting, everyone naturally followed the topic.

"According to the intelligence I've received, Lake's losses in attacking the various Kingdoms haven't been small, but there's no sign of their offensive stopping. Instead, they keep increasing their troops, seemingly intending to eliminate us in one fell swoop."

"It's obvious that's exactly what Lake intends."

"The news I've gathered is similar to yours, but there's one very strange point."

"What?"

"Lake's offensive seems fierce, but in reality, the legions they've deployed are all composed of recruits, and no Saint-levels have appeared on the battlefield."

Novak smiled: "Using us to train their Soldiers?"

"Arrogant!" someone slammed the table in anger.

The person next to him shrugged: "Facts have proven that Lake isn't being arrogant at all; they've made us breathless using only recruits."

Everyone's breath caught, and the room fell silent again, the atmosphere becoming stagnant.

Lake's elite forces were still standing by, yet they were already unable to hold on. If Lake's entire army were deployed, the fate of the various countries was self-evident.

The situation was grim. The marshals frowned and pondered for a long time, yet still had no solution.

The marshal in the main seat broke the silence: "I think you've all heard that many royal families have already abandoned their territories and thrones to flee to distant lands. Those of us still sitting here are all planning to fight to the death. Therefore, let's not be too dejected. Even if defeat is certain, we cannot abandon the glory left by our ancestors."

"But..." A marshal shook his head with a bitter smile, "I really don't know how to win. Those of you who didn't participate in that previous war don't understand Lake's weapons. Those weapons..."

Novak took over: "Can allow an ordinary Farmer to defeat a Professional who has practiced for over a decade after only a few months of training."

"If that's really the case... if... our Saint-levels have all left without saying goodbye. Without Saint-levels, plus what you've said, aren't we destined for defeat?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Then..."

The marshal in the main seat interrupted them: "I said, even if defeat is certain, we cannot give up resisting."

Glancing at everyone who was looking at him, he stood up: "I have decided to gather all our forces and fight Lake to the death."

Seemingly infected by his momentum, everyone voiced their support.

"Moyi Kingdom seconds the motion."

"Mesha Kingdom seconds the motion."

"Dusou Kingdom sec..."

Just like that, the various countries held a meeting of little significance and reached an expected resolution.

The marshals returned to their respective countries, mobilizing all available Soldiers to prepare for a fight to the death.

Domit, who had drones scouting the battlefield, soon learned of this news.

He wasn't worried at all; in fact, he was quite happy, because only a sufficiently tragic war could forge truly iron-blooded Soldiers.

Facing the death throes of the remaining Kingdoms, Domit did not feel contempt in his heart and immediately made a response.

First, all legions stationed within the borders of the various countries were divided into three batches to engage the enemy in rotation.

At the same time, five elite legions—the third through the seventh—set out and marched to a position dozens of kilometers from the front line to stand by.

This move was for safety's sake.

Since it was a struggle, they would surely fight for their lives. To ensure that no variables would lead to uncontrollable consequences, Domit issued this order.

Both sides deployed their troops and faced each other across a plain.

The subjects of the various Kingdoms smelled the scent of gunpowder. Capable city dwellers fled with their families, while villagers and Farmers who relied on the land could only lead their families in prayer for the war to end soon and for it not to affect them.

The standoff did not last long.

Unexpectedly, the one who couldn't hold back and struck first was the coalition side, which was at a disadvantage.

Whether it was out of a "broken jar" mentality, hoping for a quick death, or an attempt at a surprise attack, the coalition launched a full-scale assault late one night.

However, regardless of whether the coalition commander intended it or not, their goal ultimately fell through.

As soon as the coalition's vanguard legions set out, the drones circling at high altitude all day sent out a warning, and the Lake legions immediately reacted.

The two sides encountered each other head-on in the wilderness. Without a word, the battle was triggered instantly.

It had to be said that the coalition had indeed brought out all their assets this time; the Soldiers were all the Kingdoms' elites.

The Professionals in the legions were unafraid of death. Even facing a dense fire net formed by machine guns, they still charged through with their bodies without changing their expressions.

The Lake legions seemingly hadn't expected the intensity of the war to suddenly rise a level. Caught off guard, their defensive line was broken by the Professionals, who rushed into the positions and began a massacre.

Ultimately due to a lack of training and tempering, the Lake Soldiers did not fight to the death to repel the enemy, but instead fled in all directions.

This action affected the nearby stable defensive positions. Fleeing Soldiers rushed into the neighboring positions, and the Soldiers who were firing were swept along by the crowd toward the next positions. Defeat and panic spread rapidly along the defensive line.

The situation was quickly reported to Domit's Command Post by front-line scouts.

After hearing the news, Domit's expression showed no panic or solemnity. He said in an icy tone, "Order the Artillery Regiment to shell the chaotic zone."

"Yes... ah?" The Soldier sitting at the telegraph machine turned his head in shock. "Legion Commander, did you say... shell the chaotic zone?"

"Don't you understand?" Domit's lightning-like gaze fixed on him.

The Soldier subconsciously shivered: "Yes... yes!"

Domit naturally knew that his own legions were in the chaotic zone. Shelling that area was equivalent to killing his own Soldiers along with the enemy, but if he didn't want the first defensive line to completely collapse, this was the only way now.

There were no war crimes on the Saul Continent. Even if he personally ordered the execution of prisoners, no one would jump out to demand his punishment.

Therefore, Domit shouldn't have a psychological burden.

But behind Domit, where the Soldiers couldn't see, veins bulged on his clenched fists.

With several rounds of shelling over, the chaotic defensive line finally regained stability. Machine guns continued to spit fire, and artillery support did not stop all night.

The coalition's life-risking combat style did indeed bring immense pressure to Lake, but it wasn't without a price; their Soldiers suffered heavy losses.

As the horizon turned pale, the coalition's vanguard legions had lost more than half their numbers. The few remaining remnants gathered together and slowly retreated from the front line.

The Lake Soldiers who had fought all night were able to crawl out of the trenches and begin clearing the battlefield.

...

Rear of the coalition.

The various Kingdoms had allied again. Although the purpose was different from before—this time it was for defense—they still needed a nominal and actual commander. Novak, whose military capability far exceeded the others, once again shouldered the heavy responsibility as a matter of course.

Losing the first battle, and one in which they had held nothing back and sent out a large number of elites, the atmosphere in the Command Post was inevitably a bit dejected.

Everyone remained silent, but Novak was unusually calm, looking down at the battle map on the table by himself.

Perhaps infected by the commander's steadiness, a bit of color returned to everyone's pale faces. Someone asked with an expectant look, "Marshal Novak, do you have a way?"

A way?

What way? A way to defeat Lake?

Novak almost laughed out loud. What time was it, and they still held such delusions?

However, as the commander, he naturally couldn't reveal negative emotions. He smiled and said, "Although we have been defeated several times, we still maintain the advantage of having more people than Lake. Now that both sides have shown their hands and put all their strength on the table, things like schemes have lost their effect. There is only a frontal fight to the death."

It sounded like nonsense and didn't answer the question, yet everyone seemed to receive great encouragement, and each straightened their chest.

Everyone's drifting reason reoccupied the high ground. Someone picked up a battle report and said, "In last night's battle, we indeed suffered heavy losses, but Lake didn't have it easy either.

Their positions were broken by us several times, and the commander was forced to order the shelling of the area where both sides were entangled just to stop the rout."

Hearing this, the person next to him said with great regret, "Lake's commander... was too decisive. If he had delayed just a little longer, their first defensive line would have completely collapsed."

At this moment, a bit of curiosity about Lake's commander arose in Novak's heart.

According to what Brando had disclosed, the commander who made Lagu suffer in the Silent Forest seemed to be this same person.

What was the name... Domit?

Lake's intelligence security was very thorough. Novak had inquired for a long time and still couldn't confirm the Lake commander's full name.

Hmm... speaking of Brando...

Novak's thoughts drifted to the Lagu Kingdom.

Are they just going to watch and not participate?

If Lake eliminates all of us, Lagu won't be able to escape either, right?

"Marshal Novak."

"Marshal Novak?"

"Ah?" Novak was startled awake by the call, his tone full of apology. "Sorry, I zoned out. What were you saying?"

"Someone suggested asking the Empire for help."

Novak was stunned for a moment: "Are you sure?"

"Uh, it's just a suggestion."

Someone couldn't help but speak up in opposition: "Please forgive my bluntness, but I would rather sacrifice myself in the war with Lake than ask the Empire for help.

If the Empire sends troops to support us, Lake will indeed be unable to resist, but... what about the price we have to pay?"

Those who knew the inside story lowered their heads in silence, which made those who didn't know the situation curious. What kind of price would asking for the Empire's support entail, to the point that they would rather die than ask for help?

Novak pondered for a few seconds: "How about this: send an envoy to the nearest Ganno Empire, but don't mention asking for help. Just tell the Empire about the situation with Lake."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."