CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: ON ACTING, I’M A PROFESSIONAL

In the Central Command Room, Wu Changfeng looked spirited as he gazed at the multitude of junior officers seated below.

"The plan to lure the enemy was a complete success. Last night, the Demon Clan’s Biochemical Demon Soldiers launched a surprise attack on our command post, and we wiped out all three hundred of them. None of us fell in battle!" Applause erupted.

"But victory is only temporary, and it’s just the beginning. We only thwarted one despicable surprise attack by the Demon Clan; we haven’t yet eliminated them. From this lure-the-enemy plan, I’ve observed several issues, some favorable and some unfavorable.

First, the Demon Clan choosing to launch a sneak attack on our command post implies their Biochemical Demon Soldiers are led by a highly intelligent commander. We already know Biochemical Demon Soldiers lack reasoning and thought. However, their combat strength is formidable. Their ignorance is what makes them fearless. If they were to obey orders, they would be a very terrifying and disciplined elite regiment.

Of course, this also indirectly shows us the Demon Clan’s deficiency in troop strength. If they had enough troops, they wouldn’t have needed to implement a decapitation strike on our command base.

For the Demon Clan, Biochemical Demon Soldiers are expendable. There is absolutely no strategic intent to achieve maximum combat results with minimal cost. Therefore, the Demon Clan’s forces remaining in the trial field are inadequate—even in their own view—to defeat us head-on. This is good news.

Knowing the enemy and ourselves, we will prevail in a hundred battles. We now have a general assessment of the Demon Clan, so next up is to devise tactics. Last night, Chief Fu and I developed an operation plan for this situation. Let’s call it the Plowing Field Plan!"

Wang Lan’s mouth twitched. What kind of plans were depicted in TV shows? Death Plan, Thunder Plan, Trojan Horse Plan. And you named it Plowing Field Plan? I seriously doubt you bought your education.

"As the name implies, it’s about overturning every corner of the trial field, rooting out those Demon Bastards. The trial field isn’t particularly vast, nor is it small. It spans forty kilometers in length and width, so there aren’t many places where so many people can hide. Teams of five will carry three types of signal flares each. Blue signals safety. Green indicates a situation has been found but no reinforcements are needed. Red means encountering Demon Soldiers and lacking the strength to match, thus requiring reinforcements. Launching red and blue signals simultaneously means Demon Soldiers are in pursuit. Is everyone clear on this?"

"Understood!"

"Each team must send signals every fifteen minutes. If there’s no signal for over half an hour, the battalion will assume they’re dead. Any delay in signaling not caused by accidental factors will result in a court-martial. Is that clear?"

"Understood!"

"Dismissed. Spread the word!"

The meeting ended, but Wang Lan didn’t leave. Wu Changfeng and Fu Qiaoshi looked at Wang Lan curiously, "Young man, what’s the matter?"

Wang Lan took a small notebook out of his pocket, "Wu, a hundred and five Soul Beads in total. I’ll round it down, making it an even hundred. Thank you for your patronage."

"Speaking of this... Brother Wang, that’s not very brotherly of you... Charging so much to treat the brothers’ wounds? Before, you spoke so nicely, offering free treatment to the warriors, only asking for Soul Beads to replenish Star Power. But yesterday, you practically stripped those brothers down to their underwear! Do you feel no remorse? They’re fighting and bleeding for the country, yet you’re peeling off their clothes, you... you..."

"Hey, hey, hey... stop acting, that’s enough! Rein it in. You’re a warrior, one who bleeds but doesn’t shed tears!"

"I’m heartbroken for my brothers. Do you know what they called you last night? Wang the Miser..."

"Wu, do the brothers really say that about me?" Wang Lan’s eyes reddened with shock, a pain sharper than any in his heart, like a sword thrust into Wu Changfeng’s.

No good! A thought instantly lit up in Wu Changfeng’s mind. The act was overdone; Wang Lan’s feelings were hurt.

"I never expected... I truly never expected... I didn’t expect you all to see me this way... Last night, to save the brothers’ lives, I didn’t delay even a second. When my Star Power was insufficient, I paid out of my own pocket. In a whole hour, I used up one hundred and twenty Soul Beads. These Soul Beads were all earned with my life on the line. Now, I’m only asking you for a hundred in return, taking a loss of twenty, and I’m still called a skinner... I..."

He gazed up at a 45-degree angle to the starry sky, falling into philosophical contemplation.

"Ah, young man, don’t be angry. The brothers have it tough! Really, it’s not easy to save up Soul Beads. They only get three or four a month, and then they have to stick it out in this godforsaken place for half a year, sometimes a whole year. Look at this environment! If it isn’t desert, it’s an ice field; if not lava, then it’s howling wind. We eat energy bars and compressed biscuits, and drink filtered water. Occasionally, some kind-hearted Trialist is willing to give us some food from outside, and we can’t bear to eat it, hoarding it to share a few bites with everyone on a special day. When you ask for two or three Soul Beads upfront, it’s painful for the brothers... But I also know you have your difficulties. Every single Soul Bead is earned by risking your life to hunt Exotic Beasts. Having you here, not a single brother has perished; I’m elated. They’re just venting, but deep down, they’re incredibly grateful to you. Fu, one hundred and twenty Soul Beads. We can’t let the young man take a loss, right? We’re grown men; we should be generous, not stingy."

"Oh..."

Wang Lan’s pained expression gradually faded from his face, and he sneered inwardly. Were all those years I spent acting in Hengdian for nothing? Trying to out-act me? KO!

Fu returned quickly, his face etched with pain as he handed a bag of Soul Beads to Wang Lan. Although these expenses could be reimbursed by the military later, it still hurt to part with them.

Wang Lan gleefully accepted them, choosing not to absorb them on the spot and test their nerves. Suddenly, Wang Lan’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious.

"Wu, there’s something... I’ve been unable to figure out, and I hope you can enlighten me. Your Plowing Field Plan... I just feel... it doesn’t seem very reliable."

"Oh? Let’s hear it!" Wu Changfeng immediately showed surprise, then asked with a smile.

"I remember Third Company only has five hundred men. If these five hundred men are dispersed to dig three feet deep across a trial field of one thousand six hundred square kilometers, with such complex terrain and changeable weather, how long will it take to find them? It’s not that I doubt our brothers’ capabilities, but if the Demon Clan just keeps hiding, or stays underground... I just feel like they won’t be easy to find. Shouldn’t we wait for reinforcements before proceeding with the Plowing Field Plan?"

"Of course they won’t be easy to find. But then, think again: why am I doing this?"

"If it’s not because Wu is being too naive... then it’s..." Wang Lan’s brain rapidly processed the information, and soon his eyes lit up. "The real plan isn’t the Plowing Field Plan, but a tactic to lure the snake out of its hole."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Wu Changfeng poured two glasses of water, placing one by Wang Lan’s hand.

"Previously, Wu, you mentioned that the Demon Clan doesn’t have enough strength, at least not enough to overpower Third Company. So you’re using this ’digging for sweet potatoes’ method, hoping to flush out the Demon Clan’s forces. But the Demon Clan also knows this, and obviously, they won’t let us find them easily. This stalemate... is unfavorable for the Demon Clan. They have to worry about being found, and also worry about us seeking external assistance. So... if I were the Demon Clan, I would definitely try to destroy the trial field before outside support arrives. And to destroy the trial field, the first step is to destroy Third Company. Are you waiting for them to launch another decapitation operation?"

"Smart! It seems you have a talent for tactics. How about joining the Southeast Military Region in the future? With your capabilities, your talent, and your identity as a medical Star Martial Warrior, you’re bound to become at least a general."

"That... we can talk about the future later. But there’s still something I can’t figure out. Our command post was chosen randomly and temporarily; the Demon Clan shouldn’t know where it is, right? If you want the Demon Clan to launch a decapitation strike, you have to give them a target. By keeping the command post so well hidden, and with such strict security..."

"Hahaha..." Wu Changfeng laughed. "Little brother, it’s about making the real seem false and the false seem real. If we deliberately exposed a flaw for the Demon Clan to see, would they still dare to launch a decapitation strike? What’s needed is to appear unassailable. The more unassailable we appear, the more the Demon Clan will believe it."

"But if there’s no bait on the hook, how will the fish bite?"

"That’s because you haven’t systematically studied tactics and strategy; you’ll understand once you go to college. Never assume the enemy are fools. On the contrary, you should always overestimate their capabilities to develop appropriate countermeasures. Just because I don’t offer them any flaws, does that mean the Demon Clan can’t discover the command post? I believe they have their ways."

「At dawn」

The battle plan commenced. Nearly seventy search teams seemingly dispersed chaotically in all directions, beginning a carpet-style search.

「Meanwhile, in another quiet chamber」

Three people were still seated under dim lighting.

"It’s been two days. We don’t have much time left."

"I estimate that the Star Martial Army’s reinforcements will arrive within four days."

"Four days? How little regard do you have for Jade Country’s army? Paradise Bird promised to win us four days, but we’ll have to halve that time."

"Two days?"

"Correct. By tonight at the latest, a continuous wave of reinforcing troops will enter the trial field, and we’ll be stuck in the middle like dumpling filling."

"Then what do we do..."

"So the plan must start now! Right now!"

"Report! Team Ten has issued a red and blue signal. They’ve spotted traces of the Demon Clan and are in pursuit."

"Report Team Ten’s position!"

The person hurried to the sand table in front of them and placed the Team Ten flag at the location where they had launched the signal flare.

"Report! Team Seventeen has sent a red and blue signal. Traces of Demon Soldiers found, and they are in pursuit."

"Report Team Seventeen’s position."

"Report! Team Eighteen has sent a red and blue signal..."

"Report! Team Nine has sent a red and blue signal..."

Soon, reports came in one after another, and ten teams quickly appeared at various locations on the map.

"The Demon Clan has gone mad, appearing everywhere as if their small squads can pick us off one by one. How naive!" Fu Qiaoshi exclaimed, looking at the scattered flags that nearly covered the entire sand table.

Wang Lan’s brow furrowed, his eyes glinting sharply. "Wu, have all teams report their positions again."

"Alright!" Wu Changfeng, surprisingly, had no objections to the suggestion and promptly gave the order.

"Report, Team Ten’s position confirmed..."

"Report, Team Nineteen’s position confirmed..."

Soon, the new positions of the flags appeared on the sand table. They weren’t too far from their previous locations; the furthest was less than a kilometer away.

But upon seeing the new flag positions, both Fu Qiaoshi and Wu Changfeng’s expressions changed drastically.

"How can this be?"