"Brothers, keep it up! It's almost time to reach the predetermined coordinates! ”

In the soil layer under the jackal's camp, the domestic 003 staff player is wielding a sapper shovel and constantly widening the oblique upward passage where he is, he has no trace of the spirit of three days ago, the equipment on his body is covered with traces of mud and sweat, the whole person is gray, and his beard is as embarrassed as those defeated adventurers.

But he was in very good spirits.

It's even so good that it's exciting.

He shouted like a foreman, but the players and NPCs around him didn't respond to his enthusiasm.

Damn, everyone has been digging here for three days and three nights in black and white, and they will all be exhausted, how can they still be in the mood to respond to your terrible mobilization? Especially those Nords who were semi-forcibly dragged over to dig a pit here because the chief was too drunk, had an expression like a dead mother, and their eyes were full of resentment and anger when they looked at 003.

After all, the intensity of three days of civil engineering work in a row is much more tiring than defending the position against the gnolls.

This is not the opposite of the hearty battle that these Nords crave, it can only be said to have nothing to do with it, if it were not for the fact that there are commanders pressing on it, and the commanders of the Shadow Valley are constantly sending people over to help, which means that this is indeed an official operation, they really have the heart to arrest this weak Trancian staff officer and beat him.

How come you have said that you are so good at fighting the great cause of fighting the gnolls and the black plague that you treat your brothers as if they were mining coolies without any pay?

"Blanch, Lao Tzu definitely drank too much that night to believe in your evil!"

Next to 003, who had completely become the "Dancing Shovel Class", the sturdy Nord commander was also panting and complaining:

"It must have been the use of some evil Trancian secret method to bewitch my mind, so that I willingly brought my brothers here to suffer, the god of the north wind is above, since beating my grumpy father to drink too much wine and hang up, I haven't worked so hard anymore."

"Well, we didn't say more than five words that night, okay? You yourself pounced on it and asked to join the action, how can it be my demagogy? ”

003, who heard this complaint for the hundredth time in the past three days, was quite unhappy to prop up the sapper shovel in his hand, and he replied unceremoniously.

In these three days of close contact with NPCs, he also has the same unique feeling as other new players, for these vivid NPCs in Translasia.

They are by no means the products of rigid AI, they are living people, with their own personalities and feelings, as well as those personality traits and some bad things that can be seen at a glance, but these shortcomings do not ruin their image in the player's mind, but rather appear more real because they are not perfect.

For example, the Nord named "Ivankov" next to 003.

His unit was not the famous Winter Wolf Legion, but the elite of the border guards drawn from the Frozen Bay region, because their constant dealings with barbarians made them very brave in battle, but also because they were not related to the Winter Wolves, these guys were not taken seriously in the Shadow Valley.

His superiors had been dead for four days, and Colonel Basomiyan of the Winter Wolf Legion had not yet assigned them a new commander.

This was actually a good thing for Ivankov, as it meant that the Winter Wolves had acquiesced in his promotion and tacitly allowed them to participate in the "underground assault" operation on behalf of the Nords. However, this disregard itself is a disservice to this bold Nord soldier.

He can be willing to pay for the country, or he can stand in front of the advancing army of jackals without fear, but he also wants to be respected and loved by his colleagues, instead of ignoring them as he is now.

It's chilling.

Ten minutes later, the people working in this tunnel changed shifts, and the boss of Chenlong, who had just gone online, took the members of the "Pride of Immortality" guild to continue digging.

Chenlong was just resurrected yesterday, and he and his brothers were full of energy, discussing how to slaughter those dogs and jackals after the sneak attack on the pit was dug through, and this optimistic attitude looked at Ivankov, who was squatting next to him eating a boxed lunch, and blinked.

He bumped his arm into the domestically made 003 who was munching on a poultry bun, and whispered:

"Are all of you guys so confident? This tunnel could be discovered at any time, and if it were discovered by the jackals or kobolds, our work would be in vain, so why should they act as if we had already won?

Speaking of which, I've been in contact with other warriors in the Valley of the Shadows, and I've found that you don't seem to think much about failure."

"Because for us, the price of failure is nothing but death, and we will not die!"

003 ate the bun in a few bites, explained to the friends he had made in the past few days, and grabbed the second bun to seize the time to replenish the satiety value.

He sat on the broken stones, watching the newcomers line up with small carts to transport the excavated soil out, and some of the funny guys made their own flat burdens, carrying the earthen baskets one after the other.

This scene caused 003 to fall into a strong sense of déjà vu, and it also made him more confident in the combat operation he had designated and promoted.

After eating, 003 reached for a pipe, and Ivankov, who was next to him, took out the same thing.

The Translancian Administration was well versed in the needs of men during the war, and at the behest of Archon Miriam, the largest commodity smuggled into Translancia by the Capetian caravans was a large amount of tobacco from the Antani region.

It's not the same thing as enjoying tobacco in another world, it's not a great experience, and players can't find a paper to roll cigarettes on, so they can use pipes to do as they like, but for players other than real old Smoking Guns, they just want a way to release stress rather than really enjoy the taste.

After all, when the addiction to smoking comes, you can take off your helmet and get one at any time, so the current act of using a pipe is more like an act of acting in line with the spirit of RP, or "performance art of the alien".

They will even compete to see who spits the biggest smoke ring and see it as a kind of capital to show off.

While 003 and Ivankov were spitting clouds, the young staff officer whispered:

"Command has decided to retreat, and while we're busy, the civilians in the valley have moved down the tunnels in the direction of the filthy swamp, and the gnolls' attacks are getting more and more deadly, and there is no way to hold the valley of shadows.

The surprise attack we launched here is the last battle in this theater. ”

"Huh?"

The fierce commander of the North was taken aback, he looked left and right, spat out the smoke ring and said:

"Isn't this kind of news a leak if it tells me like that? Aren't you very strict about this? ”

"I dare to tell you that you are not afraid of accidents, just to let you be mentally prepared."

003 spat out a puff of smoke rings and said:

"Our operation is the last battle that Command has planned in the Valley of the Shadows, and this battle is a massive counterattack in response to the retreat, and all surrounding fronts will be counterattacking the gnolls at the same time, but our battle here is the top priority!

It is no exaggeration to say that the success of this raid will be directly related to the smooth evacuation of the wounded and vital supplies in the valley.

We must destroy the gnolls' stronghold so that they can be forced to move on to the next stage according to our predetermined plan."

"Wait, I'm a little dizzy."

Ivankov said suspiciously:

"Isn't our strategy to buy time in the Valley of the Shadows? I thought we were going to fight to the death here. ”

"That was before, the rear positions needed time to be cleaned up and built, and now they are still a little behind, but at their speed, they can definitely complete the final preparations before the gnolls reach Transnesia, and our mission here has actually been completed for most of the past time.

Swap space for time, have you heard of this tactic before?

That's the strategy we use. ”

003 let out a sigh of relief and said:

"It's a miracle that the Valley of the Shadows has completed 20 days of holding back the enemy, and the remaining days are to hold on to the positions you Nords have established on the side of the Bafon Canyon until the thirty-day mission is completed and then retreat to the rear.

But we can't go over there.

We didn't have much time to evacuate with the bulk of our forces after completing our assault on the Gnoll Base Camp, so we had to turn in the direction of the Blackflame Pass until we joined up with the defenders of Fort Courage. The gnolls will surely occupy the Valley of the Shadows, but they can't stay here forever.

When the gnolls are scattered, we'll have to take the valley back from the gnolls!

That's the mission our team has been given afterward, it's our land, and there's never been a choice to give it up to these invaders.

They deserve to die! ”

"Hey, your battle plan is so detailed, it's different from the battles I've fought before, it sounds too complicated, but as long as you can win!"

Ivankov spat hard at his feet, he picked up the sapper shovel and said:

"You have promised us victory, Your Excellency 003, continue to lead us to that glorious victory, whether it is to comfort the dead or inspire the living, we are already here, then we must do it to the end."

After saying that, the rough man smiled and patted 003 on the shoulder, so strong that the young staff officer almost fell to the ground.

He grumbled, and then glanced back at another group of Nord warriors behind him.

They came to replace the soldiers who had been digging for most of the day, but these people who came had large and small injuries, the most exaggerated one was a mechanical leg on his foot, and there was a mechanical arm in his right hand, which looked like the "craft" of Brother Zhong.

These are the wounded.

They were supposed to rest honestly in the field hospitals of the Valley of the Shadows or the Maginot Line, but they didn't, and here they were, and they took part in the excavation.

They hadn't spoken to 003 in any language, but the weight of duty still made 003 bared his teeth.

This was probably the first time since he joined the army that he really felt the pressure of the commander.

To be a good soldier you just need to be brave and obey orders, but a commander is a different concept, subordinates give you trust and even life, and you have to give back to them in addition to duty and victory.

Can you win on your own?

Will all this go smoothly with your own design?

Will he fail the soldiers who work under his command?

Will you live up to those players who are not in shape, but they work hard, do not fight against them, and do not even say strange things?

003 was stressed by this series of questions, and he picked up his pipe and took a hard puff, then stamped his foot, grabbed the sapper shovel and joined the digging team.

Now there is only one last way left to dig to the intended position, and the explosives he needs are being sent here in a continuous detour through the outer tunnel system, and tonight at the earliest, tomorrow morning at the latest, the operation he named "Gaia's Wrath" will be advanced to the last ring.

It's too late to think about the strategy or details, so let's get the last momentum and go to the end in one go!

——

"Sir! The Earth Priests had sent a message that they had blocked the kobolds' excavations, but the Gnolls' cracks on the mountain in front of the Valley of the Shadows had exceeded the safety line, and the mountain could collapse at any time, threatening to destroy the natural defenses in front of the valley.

The Earth Priests want us to prepare for a surprise attack by the Gnolls! ”

At the same moment in the Shadow Valley, the domestic 009 panted and ran to report the situation to the bearded five pairs of wheels, the commander of the Shadow Valley Defense Operations rubbed his red eyes, and said:

"Send a message to Colonel Basomiyan and Colonel Fraser, asking them to immediately lead their troops to the front of the valley to deal with the attack of the gnolls, and then send someone to 003 to convey the order that the combat preparations for 'Gaia's Wrath' must be completed at midnight tonight!

General Maxim will take command of the elite of the KPA in their surprise attacks.

There's not much more to say about the rest, we all planned and acted according to the plan. ”

"Yes!"

009 simply gave a military salute and turned to deliver the order, while the five pairs of wheels looked back at the headquarters where they had been for twenty days, and glanced at the sand table that gave him a headache when he saw it, he pursed his lips, picked up the sapper shovel at hand and split it over, shattering the sand table.

This action startled the young staff officers around them, and they looked at their commander and director of discipline, thinking that this big guy was too stressed and a little crazy.

But in reality, this is not the case.

"What do you want me to do? Give you 30 minutes to prepare, change into your best gear, and bring plenty of ammo and weapons. ”

Five pairs of wheels shouted loudly:

"Our spawn point is tied to the Maginot Line, and we can slowly transfer through the tunnels, but we can also choose the more convenient 'return to the city' in the way of the player.

I'm tired of planning here every day, the gnolls have already felt our strategy and tactics before, it's time for them to feel the power of the commanders in a physical sense!

Remember to keep up with Lao Tzu after a while!

You will definitely panic when you go to the battlefield for the first time, it doesn't matter, you can do whatever I ask you to do, you are all elite students in the school, and you will give me a decent performance in a while. ”

"Yes!"

The shouts of Qi Shushu echoed in the command headquarters, and the fastest domestic 007 raised his hand and proposed:

"Sir! I think we should learn from the 'advanced experience' of our fellow players and bring an improved version of the Decisive Wine and Gold Explosives Pack, which they all say is a necessary part of the new growth of Real Otherworld, and I think we should make up for the missing lesson, don't you say? ”

"Good boy, are you waiting for me here?"

The five pairs of wheels laughed, waved their big hands, and said proudly:

"Then go and prepare, assemble in 30 minutes, 013, you stay here and take the staff cadets to dispose of the confidential documents, and by the way, bury a few anti-infantry mines here, and give the gnolls occupying forces a sound."

"Yes!"

The only girl on the staff replied loudly.

However, before the group of staff officers who were ready to go to the battlefield to cut off a few heads in person, a group of NPCs wearing the black uniforms of the "Pride of the Lion King" trade and logistics company entered the Shadow Valley through the tunnel under the leadership of the rainbow cat hero.

The things they were transporting this time were quite important, and they even took the form of packing them in luxury items like special psionic bags.

"Come and get your new gear, brothers of Transancia!"

Armed with a strange firearm on his back, the heavily armed rainbow cat hero stood on the crate and shouted to the soldiers who came and went:

"Time is tight, the task is heavy, come and get it! This is a Spring Festival gift from Brother Loyalty, you will definitely fall in love with it, of course it is not very good-tempered, so the muzzle of the gun can not be used at any time, and it cannot be thrown on the ground!

Well, if you're not going to eat your own bullets"

(End of chapter)