I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 246 The Claws of Misfortune, Blessing the Princess
After finalizing the follow-up operational plan for the Third Navy, John immediately hung up the communication, then slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, frowned as he examined the sand table in front of him, and began to analyze the current situation.

Currently, with the artificial seaway in place, even if the Bloodhowl Legion intends to build rafts or cross the artificial seaway by other means, given the number of Bloodhowl Legion members, it will take them at least a day to achieve this, regardless of the method used.

Therefore, as of tomorrow afternoon, the only enemy force he will truly need to deal with on this battlefield is probably the 83-ship group attempting to launch a pincer attack.

And to prevent the enemy's army of Hellfire self-destructing puppets from successfully landing and launching an operation.

"As for Reginald himself, considering that his spells are the same as Ostan's, both being city-building spells of the granting and domain types, his combat power mostly relies on warships and troops, and his individual combat power is actually inferior to Gromas, who is the core of the Crimson Tide, when fighting against him, I don't need to worry about the so-called decapitation tactics. I just need to find a way to limit or lure the enemy's ship cannons."

"In addition, in the story, because the Helium Alchemy technology has been initially debugged and only a batch of prototypes have been produced, the Hellfire Self-Destructing Doll Legion is only about 3000 people. In order to pursue flexibility, they are all constructed in a relatively small canine form, and the explosive devices that can explode and spread a large amount of specialized flames are all placed inside the abdominal cavity."

"Furthermore, Cassandra Ebomark, the leader of this alchemy unit, is a wind-type super-rank mage and possesses unique buff-type spells. After applying buff magic to the Hellfire self-destructing puppet army, she can increase their speed to 200 meters per second at its limit, making the already difficult-to-aim self-destructing puppets even more difficult to defeat."

"Aside from the fact that magic soldiers with magic eyes can use dynamic vision to predict and defeat them, it would be quite difficult for our army soldiers to defeat this troublesome force on the front lines."

Although relying on Lunebo's supercomputing capabilities and Martha's wide-range telepathic abilities, our side can also conduct dynamic visual tracking for 1500 soldiers, thereby eliminating half of the enemy's forces before this force attacks our lines, and using the spread of the explosive devices to counterattack the enemy's troops.

However, this type of targeted attack cannot completely annihilate the enemy.

Once around 100 self-destructing dolls reach our front lines, the specialized flames spreading will instantly incinerate our troops and coastal defense artillery.

This outcome was clearly unacceptable to John.

"Moreover, due to the butterfly effect, the enemy's commander-in-chief has changed from an ordinary marshal to Reginald, and the attack methods of the Sunfire Fleet are completely different from those in the plot. All these factors mean that the information I currently know is no longer 100% credible."

If the Victoria Kingdom's research department, considering the severity of the battlefield, temporarily increases the production of the Hellfire self-destructing puppet army, and if its estimated values ​​deviate from the expected values, these seemingly minor errors could very well lead to a complete defeat for their side.

"Therefore, the response to the Hellfire self-destructing puppet army should not stop at blocking the landing, but should take action much earlier."

For example, when the enemy is en route to Crescent Strait, or just before they send out a legion of Hellfire self-destructing puppets to attack our defenses!

Only in this way can our slight chance of winning be increased after eliminating most of these suicide bombs in advance.

But then another problem arises.

With Reginald, a Grand-ranked powerhouse with a domain-level ability, leading the way, how can I possibly shield myself from his terrifying sensory abilities?

And how could the transport ships carrying the deadly puppet army be destroyed under the absolute defense that the opponent could instantly create a solar prominence barrier for their troops with just a thought, to block all ballistic attacks from the outside world?

"..."

John frowned as he pondered the question, then subconsciously lit a cigarette.

However, just as he was about to put it in his mouth, watching the spreading blue smoke, he suddenly paused, and then an idea flashed into his mind:
No, why am I even thinking about how to destroy the transport ship?

All I had to do was send someone to infiltrate the transport ship, destroy one of the dolls stored in the warehouse, and use the doll's self-destruct properties to spread the special flames and detonate the rest of the dolls.

"The idea is good, but this infiltration operation also has the problem of how to avoid being detected by Grand-ranked experts."

If this task were carried out by members of the Black Hawk Special Forces, the feasibility of this method would be very high, given their ability to completely conceal their presence using the Illusion Technique and to mimic the surrounding scenery in real time.

The problem is that if Black Hawk Special Forces members are deployed to infiltrate and sabotage the suicide dolls, then the missions of destroying and reconnoitering the anti-magic devices set up by the Bloodhowl Legion will be very difficult to accomplish.

Even if the Hellfire Self-Destructing Puppet Legion is defeated, if the Bloodhowl Legion crosses the artificial seaway a day later and attacks our defenses from the flank, then under the protection of the anti-magic device, our magic soldiers will be unable to deter them with explosive magic, let alone annihilate them.

At that time, they will be attacked from both sides by the two legions, and there will be no other possibility but annihilation.

If they are deployed, then by tomorrow morning, our coastal defenses will most likely be breached by the enemy.

If we don't deploy troops, then by tomorrow evening, our side will also be caught in a pincer attack and killed.

Isn't this a dead end?

Surely Jet can't just send me a thousand Black Hawk Down special forces members out of nowhere, can he?
I wouldn't even dare to think of this in my wildest dreams!
Shaking his head, John smiled wryly and dismissed the absurd idea, instead focusing on using analytical techniques to process the information in his mind and try to find the optimal solution for this battle.

"Think about it, John, you're sure to find a way that satisfies both sides!"

However, just as John was wearily rubbing his throbbing temples and hesitating about whether to split the Black Hawk Special Forces into two groups, one to carry out the mission of destroying the anti-magic device and the other to destroy the Hellfire Dolls.

The next second, a familiar set of footsteps sounded from the doorway:
"Tap, tap!"

Immediately afterward, in John's trembling eyes, the unlucky squad leader Wendy came running towards him, covered in sweat, and holding a piece of intelligence that made John's face turn pale.

It was as familiar as a nightmare, painful, and needs no further explanation.

Wendy, you must be the goddess of misfortune who sent you to torment me, right?
Otherwise, why do you always mess with me at the crucial moment when I finally find hope?

What did I do wrong?
I've been protecting you the whole time, why are you doing this to me, you despicable bastard?!

John stared at the ceiling with a look of despair, his legs trembling almost uncontrollably.

He really wanted to escape the clutches of the pig-headed squad leader.

"Captain, something's happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Wendy rushed forward in a panic, then looked at John, whose eyes were unfocused and seemed to have burned out. Although she was filled with doubt and confusion, she suppressed her questions after recalling the intelligence from Colonel Carrie, and instead delivered the 'bad news' with a serious expression:
"Just now, the Communications Department received another intelligence from Colonel Galil via the Messenger Bug. He said that just half an hour ago, the Bloodhowl Legion suddenly changed its marching route and headed towards Silverscale Harbor. They have now joined up with an Allied fleet, and our spy division, under the arrangement of the Allies, is starting to board the enemy's transport ships in batches with the Bloodhowl Legion soldiers."

"According to Colonel Galil's assessment, at the current rate of preparation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the enemy will arrive at Crescent Strait within the next three hours!"

"In other words, Captain, the artificial sea lanes you set up on the ground will probably not be able to stop the Blood Howling Legion. We're going to be facing two army groups next!"

You wretched creature, look what trouble you've brought me this time... Hmm? Wait a minute, something seems off?

What do you mean by our army's spy divisions boarding the enemy's transport ships in batches?

Our army's spy division?

Did they board the enemy transport ship?

And most importantly, these spies are all assassins specializing in assassination.

And they all possess scent concealment capabilities that are almost on par with those of the Black Hawk Special Forces.

This, this, this, this...

"!"

John, who had just discovered the key point, froze on the spot. Then, realizing what had happened, his pupils began to tremble uncontrollably, and his originally pale face quickly became congested with blood as a large amount of blood rushed to his face.

The corners of her mouth uncontrollably turned upwards in a wide arc, and it only intensified until finally she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, hahahaha, a dragon charging right at my face! This is an epic dragon charging right at my face! How can I possibly lose now? Answer me!"

After laughing triumphantly, Major John, of course, didn't forget Wendy, the lucky star who had brought him good fortune.

Instead, amidst the other person's puzzled and confused gaze, he excitedly sprang up from his chair and darted to the other person in one step.

Then, with a frenzied expression, he lifted the bewildered Lucky Squad Leader high into the air and spun him around, while lavishing praise upon him:

"Wendy, you're my greatest lucky star, no, not just a lucky star, you're my goddess of fortune! I fucking love you to death, hahaha!"

"!"

Looking at her captain, who was hugging her and spinning her around while spouting all sorts of crazy nonsense, Lucky Captain Wendy's face turned red from the almost blunt words.

But after she came to her senses, her gaze toward John became involuntarily filled with sadness.

Her eyes quickly turned red, and she was on the verge of tears.

She never imagined that her usually wise and capable captain would be overwhelmed by such devastating intelligence.

He even became this crazy and erratic person.

It almost broke her heart.

Of course, Lieutenant Wendy, being the captain's caring daughter, also knew that it was no wonder. After all, no matter how talented the captain was, he was still just an ordinary human being, and even a greyhound whose arm strength couldn't reach 100 pounds.

In the nearly non-stop fighting and strategic maneuvering over the past month, it is already a miracle in itself that the captain, as a novice commander with less than six months of battlefield experience, has been able to lead the large force and complete so many astonishing battles of turning defeat into victory through his own strategies.

If it were someone else, they probably would have gone mad by the time of the first three battles.
"However, I cannot allow the captain to fall like this, and I cannot accept that the captain I follow, trust, and admire will fall in such a humiliating way that is out of character for him!"

Looking at John, who had gone 'crazy', Lieutenant Wendy felt heartbroken, but a resolute glint also flashed in her eyes. At the same time, she prepared herself to 'awaken' her captain.

She remembers that when she was little, her mother told her many fairy tales about the family's history.

But what she remembers most vividly is the story of Wendia Elaine, the "Blessed Princess" of the Elaine Kingdom, who was the originator of the bloodline of the Brown Kingdom.

In the story, this blessed princess does not have the orthodox golden-red hair color of the Kingdom of Elaine, which symbolizes the Golden Tree and the Lake of Skyfire.

Instead, she had the same flaxen hair as her.

As a result, he was branded with the stigma of impure blood and, as a royal scandal by the Kingdom of Elaine, was confined to a secluded tower to live alone.

Until the Age of the Gods arrived, and the Kingdom of Elaine was about to be destroyed by the black tide of the undead, this princess, who had always been regarded as a disgrace by the royal family and had grown up in loneliness and neglect, showed the world her power as the chosen apostle of the God of Gold.

By bestowing blessings upon the people through the condensed golden tree, even ordinary soldiers who were previously powerless against the undead now have the potential to slay these monsters.

Later, for the greater good of saving the world, under divine inspiration, she chose to marry Konda Brown, the chosen apostle of the then-ruling god of the Elaine Kingdom and also Brown's ancestor.

Through the Kiss of the Contract, the power of the Golden Tree was shared with the other party, making him the only dual-chosen apostle in world history. With an invincible presence, he brought the golden light that defeated the Black Tide to countless people.

After accomplishing her great feat of saving the world, Wendy, with her kind and benevolent nature and frequent assistance to commoners, was hailed by countless people as the 'Eternal and Benevolent Blessed Princess'.

According to her mother, the name Wendy comes from this legendary ancestor.

And the most amazing thing is that he has the same hair color as that legendary ancestor. Does this mean that he has also inherited the ancestor's blessing ability?

Even if it's just a tiny bit, as long as I'm sincere enough in extending the kiss of the contract.

Surely, this might evoke the mercy of this benevolent ancestor and lead to his help in healing the captain.

Looking at the captain who had fallen into 'madness' in front of her, Wendy, who had been hesitant, gradually became determined.

She then took a deep breath, intending to perform a contract kiss on the mad captain, just like in fairy tales, in order to use the power of her ancestors to restore him to normal.

The next second, she suddenly found that her lips were being abruptly sealed.

"!"

……

(End of this chapter)