Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 201 The Trap of Lost Meaning (Bonus Chapter 3)

The otherworldly army was entirely composed of combatants, starting at the low rank. However, a one-seventh mid-rank ratio was considered high-level anywhere else. Faced with such overwhelming numbers, the Youth Civilization was unable to directly confront them.

Moreover, war is not simply a matter of individual combat. Organized, disciplined troops, coordinated with battle formations and military magic, are entirely different from open-field battles with adventurers. Elite troops within the ranks can achieve greater effectiveness through mutual cooperation.

As Su Ming controlled the drone, he soon spotted another cavalry force of six hundred men following behind them.

This makes it even harder to fight, Su Ming frowned.

"Let's see how you escape this time!" Dimit laughed heartily.

Su Ming waved his hand, "Ready for rocket launchers!"

The eight hundred cavalrymen were advancing in a dispersed formation. While the rockets could cause casualties, their effectiveness was far less than when facing the enemy in the defensive positions the previous night. Moreover, this unit was of such high quality, with most soldiers possessing varying degrees of battle aura, and the number of spellcasters from various sources was not insignificant.

"Arrange the skeleton soldiers in formation. Same old tactics, advance with a barrage of rockets, the skeleton soldiers follow, and then you go and hold the line," Su Ming continued, "We might not be able to win. If things go wrong, repel the first wave of attacks and then retreat."

Zijin tilted her head, because Su Ming had given a lot of orders, but the rocket carriages of the Youth Civilization had not unfolded and the weapon system showed no signs of activating.

Su Ming took out a thermos from his pocket, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then said to Xue Ying, "I'm done acting. Was I cooperative enough, Chairman Dimit?"

Dimitri fell silent for a long while before speaking again. This time, his voice sounded much older, as if he had lost all his strength, "How did you see through it?"

“You’ve overacted,” Su Ming said. “I’ve studied your battle reports. You’re very pragmatic and wouldn’t go to such lengths to mock me.” He said calmly, “The only explanation is that you’re trying to trick me into doing something. Although I haven’t figured out what the White Scattered Cavalry are up to in this matter, I’ll just not do what the enemy wants me to do.”

Su Ming's speculation was actually based on a different line of reasoning. In the memories of Quasimodo, the Feathered Clan mage, the Lord Alliance schemed against Princess Daphne, employing a complex plan to frame various parties. Su Ming hadn't clarified all the details, but it was unlikely that such two sides could cooperate effectively.

The scheming style of Ries City gave Su Ming a sense of déjà vu; it was as if Dimitri was using him as a tool.

The royal army heading this way might very well face the same fate. Su Ming didn't believe a word of Dimitri's claim about the first or second regiment of White Scatter Cavalry; in fact, he thought the opposite was the correct interpretation.

Su Ming had no obligation to tell Dimit the truth; he only wanted the other man to die!

****
The snow eagle's eyes suddenly dimmed, and the magic controlling it dissipated. The large white bird regained its senses, flapped its wings a few times, and steadied itself in the air. It looked around blankly, then turned to flee.

Su Ming raised his hand, and a binding spell was released, binding the snow eagle into a ball. Su Ming reached out and caught it, holding it in his hand. Beside him, the illusion of Violet dissipated in the air.

Dimitri attempted to disrupt Su Ming's judgment using communication, while Su Ming also stalled for time, located the other party's position, and sent Violet to launch a sneak attack.

It's just a high-level game; Su Ming has never had a moment's peace since he arrived in the other world!
Violet returned quickly, carrying only some alchemical materials.

“No one is here.” She shook her head. “The location you detected is just a relay array; there’s no one there.”

"Not surprising. Given the old man's dog's style, it would have died long ago if it weren't slippery," Su Ming said.

Dimitri had to put that aside for now; the immediate priority was dealing with the current situation. Although he had a general idea that the White Scattered Cavalry had also been tricked, the fact remained that this threatening army was rapidly approaching.

Su Ming ordered Hanster to start the Youth Civilization Train and begin leaving the scene. Taking advantage of the downhill slope, with one locomotive working, the Youth Civilization Train quickly increased its speed to about 10 kilometers per hour.

Su Ming and Zi Jin descended from the sky and stood on the roof of the train carriage.

"Our speed isn't enough, is it?" Violet asked worriedly.

The snow will affect everyone's movement, but for now they are indeed being caught up by the White Scatter Horsemen.

"It's alright." Su Ming looked ahead at the Youth Civilization Unit, where a small tuft of snow was rising, indicating that a snowmobile was approaching. "Our little king insect is here!"

****
[Su Ming!] As soon as she entered the range of the Wind Message spell, Catherine anxiously sent a message: [The Cold Mountain Royal Family has been framed. Do not attack the White Shot Cavalry!]

"Don't worry, I already guessed it," Su Ming replied. "You guys came pretty fast!"

"We didn't stop for a moment, afraid something might go wrong!" Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "The whole thing must have been Dimit's conspiracy."

Although Dimitri used various methods to prevent Catherine from capturing any live prisoners, and the Black Shot Imposters were no different in terms of weaponry and equipment, the battle-hardened Catherine still noticed something amiss from their modus operandi.

Fortunately, Su Ming also saw through Dimit's attempt to sow discord at the same time.

A few minutes later, Catherine took off directly from the snowmobile, landed on the roof of the vehicle, and stood beside the two of them.

The group quickly reconciled the information and the current situation.

“So these are the real White Scatter Riders, here to rescue me. The Cold Mountain royal family really isn’t the murderer.” Catherine relaxed, but then she quickly remembered something else, “This train must be hidden immediately!”

She took out her magic book, switched to amplification mode, and activated the crystal ornaments on her body.

"Water Curtain Sky Splendor!"

A high-level, large-scale illusion spell enveloped the Youth Civilization Train, instantly transforming the originally white train into something indistinguishable from the snow-covered landscape, while simultaneously silencing the sounds of the locomotives at work.

“This spell will last for an hour,” Catherine said.

Su Ming looked at the wide ruts left at the rear of the train. Zi Jin raised her hand and used a tidying spell to restore it to a smooth and fluffy state.

Catherine had no idea what this new spell was, but she was used to it.

“Elisa, take the train and find a secluded place to hide,” Su Ming said. “I’ll take Queen Catherine to see the commander on the other side.”

Su Ming donned the forbidden magic cloak and jumped out of the car with Catherine.

The unicorn had just retrieved the snowmobile into the mechanical compartment of the Youth Civilization Vehicle when it arrived. Upon seeing Su Ming, it was very enthusiastic, "Hi, where's the honey cake you promised me!"

Su Ming was very puzzled, "I gave it to Catherine when we left...you didn't get to eat it?"

Qi Luo looked at her teammate, with whom she had spent two days and nights, in disbelief. "You secretly ate cake while I got to eat steamed buns!!"

She lunged at him and they rolled together in the snow.

Su Ming shook his head and sighed, picking up his tablet to check the drone footage. He noticed a particularly conspicuous figure mixed in with the White Scatterback cavalry; she was unarmored and rather petite. She rode a lion-like beast, surrounded by what appeared to be elite guards. Su Ming zoomed in on the image.

“Catherine, I think I’ve seen Princess Daphne.”

"Oh? She's here too." Catherine had somehow calmed the rampaging unicorn down. She rubbed her chest and stood up from the snow. "To get here from Ries City in five days, Daphne must have killed countless snow beasts pulling the cart."

“Princess Daffylin would be even better,” Su Ming said. “I need to make a deal with her. Can you introduce me?”

Hiding the train wouldn't solve the problem; the fact that Su Ming and Zi Jin's whereabouts had been exposed was irreversible. However, Su Ming still came up with a plan. If he could reach a deal with Princess Daphne, the acting governor, the prison break trip might still be possible.

Since we've been caught sneaking into someone's house, let's persuade the homeowner to join us!
Avoiding the limelight or leaving was never on Su Ming's list of options. Once the intentions of the Divine Prison were exposed, who knew what changes might occur if he returned, or even if the person he was trying to rescue would still be there.

“Of course, you can.” Catherine brushed the snow off her clothes and tidied her messy hair. “However, my introduction would be meaningless.”

"What, is Princess Daphne difficult to deal with?"

"That's true for many people; she's not exactly a smooth-talking politician."

****
Su Ming controlled the drone to return to base, allowing Yunier to store it in the mechanical warehouse. He then folded up the tablet computer.

Behind them, the Youth Civilization Ship had already departed under the cover of magic. On the horizon ahead, White Scattered Riders riding war beasts appeared, kicking up snow dust.

Catherine picked up her binoculars and carefully observed the enemy's military formation, confirming that they were indeed the White Scatter Horsemen.

She breathed a sigh of relief, lifted the hood of her cloak to reveal her face, and released a signal flare representing friendly forces.

The main force of the White Scatterback cavalry cautiously halted five kilometers away, allowing their warhorses to recover. General Price deployed his lookout and immediately witnessed a sight that astonished him: "Queen Catherine!"

Daphne caught up. "Don't even talk about analysis, my brain's a complete mess right now." She interrupted the staff officer who was about to speak. "Just tell me what to do!"

“Something’s fishy. Send someone to make contact immediately!” the staff officer replied.

“Then go immediately,” Daphne commanded.

The staff officer was surprised; he had always been a behind-the-scenes planner and rarely went to the front lines. But upon reflection, this wasn't something that required force, and a meticulous civil official like him would be more effective.

He immediately bowed and prepared to receive his orders and depart.

Emilio had already caught up from the rear of the city guard cavalry column. "Wait, let me go!"

While it is certainly dangerous for military commanders to go forward, there are some matters that ordinary officers cannot make decisions on, and relaying messages back and forth is very time-consuming. In the current situation, minimizing any setbacks and unexpected events is of utmost importance.

Daphne nodded in agreement. Others might not know, but these high-ranking officials certainly understood the gravity of the situation.

Queen Catherine of the Stars must not be lost!
****
Price ordered his troops to rest on the spot and arranged for reconnaissance units to deploy to both sides.

Emilio himself was a mid-level mage, so he simply flew alone straight to the location of Catherine and Su Ming.

"Queen Catherine!" he exclaimed, bowing upon landing. "It is so good to see you safe and sound!"

"Good day! Minister Emilio!" Catherine returned the greeting. "This is Mr. Graves, the adventurer. He and his companions saved me."

Although there were a hundred things to complain about, Emilio knew this wasn't the time to nitpick over the details. Especially since Su Ming was standing next to a little girl with one leg buried in the snow—she hadn't bothered to conceal her unicorn aura at all.

Would adventurers even have this?

"Where is His Highness the Prince?" he asked the crucial question.

“He’s safe,” Catherine said. “Now there’s something I need you to do!”

She intended to arrange for the other party to pursue Dimitri, but Emilio rudely interrupted, "Let me deal with the most important matter first!"

He quickly released signal flares into the sky—two green and one blue. The former indicated that Catherine and the little one were safe, while the latter indicated that they had not been abducted and were in normal condition.

Those who saw the signal flare breathed a sigh of relief.

Princess Daphne, in particular, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The attack and disappearance of Queen Star and her son in the North was a major diplomatic incident.
King Shariko's words sounded like inquiries and urging, but he was already mobilizing border troops. If Queen Catherine or the prince were to suffer any harm, even without resorting to force, the relationship between the two countries would be far from amicable.

She didn't discuss the matter publicly, but those in higher positions were well aware of how difficult the situation was. Now that the crisis has suddenly been resolved, everyone is truly relieved.

General Price was equally excited. He ordered his men to immediately set up a mobile communication array to report the good news to Bubing City.

Suddenly, Daphne slapped the lion-like beast beneath her, and the white mount immediately leaped forward, galloping towards Su Ming.

Price was alarmed. He tried to give chase, but his mount couldn't catch the lion-like beast. Moreover, as a military commander, abandoning one's post in the face of battle was a grave taboo.

Upon seeing this, the princess's guards all followed.

As she approached Su Ming, Daphne recognized Catherine, and the two nodded slightly to each other. Having no further questions, she waved to stop the guards behind her and approached alone.

“Catherine!” she leaped off the lion-like beast.

“I’m fine.” Knowing what the other person wanted to ask, “My injuries have healed, and the little dumpling is fine too—the whole thing was done by the Northern Lords’ Alliance, and Dimit was the mastermind. Half of their troops were decimated, one is in Red Fruit Slope, and another is nearby.”

“So now we’re going after Dimitri?” Daphne asked. She waved her hand, signaling Emilio to take care of it. “I don’t understand military matters, but either you, Price’s head, or Dimitri’s head has to come back!”

Su Ming raised his hand and interjected, "Sorry to interrupt, but Dimitri must be alive." He remembered that Zi Jin had mentioned Master Newman and needed to "ask" Dimitri about it.

Daphne looked at Catherine, who nodded. The princess didn't speak, but waved again, signaling Emilio to leave.

"This guy doesn't seem very approachable," Su Ming thought to himself.

When he rescued her in Ries City, he was in disguise, so Daphne wouldn't recognize him. And even if he wasn't in disguise, it's hard to say. Princess Daphne had been kidnapped for several days and held at gunpoint. Su Ming suspected she might not have been able to see the chaotic situation clearly, especially since the huge explosion followed immediately afterward.

(End of this chapter)