Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 233 Are we supposed to cooperate with this retired old man to fool the eagle experts? (Bonus Chapter)
Another world, a combat and command center!
A huge electronic screen occupied the entire field of vision, with countless data streams refreshing rapidly like a waterfall, forming a complex and dynamic battlefield sandbox.

The live-fire training in digital information simulation is in full swing and has reached its most critical moment! Every flash of information represents the annihilation of a unit.

With the significant enhancement of the AI ​​combat simulation system's capabilities, commanders and soldiers can even hear the screams of virtual combatants before their deaths in the simulated exercise videos.

These scenarios will increase everyone's psychological pressure and hone their mental resilience.

"Report! High-frequency magical fluctuations detected from the enemy, identified as forest plant manipulation magic!" A young operations staff officer stared intently at the screen, speaking rapidly.

"Execute Plan Three." The commander behind him didn't even look up, his voice steady. "Long-range incendiary rockets, coordinate correction, three rounds of coverage. I don't care what grows out of them, burn them to a crisp."

As soon as the order was given, the firepower points representing the human side on the screen immediately spewed out dense red trails, accurately targeting the green area spreading by the blue team.

However, the situation of the war is changing rapidly.

"Warning! Blue team magic units have disappeared, and multiple faint magical reactions have been detected! Elven assassins have attacked, wearing new stealth gear and using infiltration magic to breach our defenses!"

This is a statistical analysis of combat tactics that the Elven race might use, based on some fantasy novels on Earth and current data. Its main purpose is to ensure that combat forces can maximize their combat capabilities should they encounter such extraordinary forces.

"That son of a bitch, it's gotten stronger again!" someone muttered under their breath.

Before the words were even finished, the icons representing our own logistics area on the screen started flashing red one after another!

"Our artillery positions have lost contact! The radar station has also been attacked... signal interrupted!"

"Our energy center has received a warning of an attack!"

"Drone area infiltrated... Enemy infiltration failed, security system activated, enemy eliminated!"

"Artillery positions... Damn it! How could the artillery positions be controlled! We detected mind magic being cast nearby. They... those elves must have read the artillerymen's memories and started controlling our equipment!"

The next second, everyone watched in disbelief as the long-range rocket launcher icon, which had just belonged to their side, suddenly turned its muzzle around and aimed directly at the core icon on the sand table that represented their command post!

"boom--!"

A blinding red explosion halo burst in the center of the screen, and a string of cold numbers popped up.

Human casualties: 1725

"...critical node crash..."

The command center was deathly silent.

"Damn it..." The commander who had given the order clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. "Deploy reserve troops and retake the artillery positions at all costs! Rebuild communications!"

"It's too late! The enemy's magical units are advancing too fast with their decapitation strikes!"

"Our defense system has been activated to intercept incoming artillery shells..."

On the screen, a dense anti-aircraft fire network rose up, colliding with the rogue rockets controlled by the enemy, exploding in mid-air into brilliant but deadly fireworks. However, some always slipped through the net, leaving trails of flame as they crashed into the area surrounding the command post.

"Under pressure to defend themselves, the human combat command center was forced to relocate..."

"Warning! Hidden heavy Dwarf units detected, coordinating with the Elves in a frontal assault!"

"Necromantic magic detected! The enemy is controlling the remains of our fallen soldiers!"

The digital simulation was so fast it was dazzling, but the commanders and soldiers responsible for responding to it were rendered unable to operate due to the series of attacks.

These delays are fatal on the battlefield.

Commander Man watched all of this silently from a distance.

This numerical simulation vividly portrays the cunning of the elves, the bravery of the dwarves, and the eeriness of the undead.

In particular, the elves' elusive natural magic and animal manipulation magic are a nightmare for any modern command system.

This is a simulation of the most realistic digital combat plan, all designed to prepare for an emergency response to an attack on human defenses by the elves, dwarves, and the undead Scourge.

The pioneering teams have a fine tradition of never fighting unprepared battles.

Since discovering the other world, they have encountered numerous wars, not only simulating the enemy's extreme attacks but also developing their own contingency plans and various bold hypothetical scenarios.

The otherworld exploration team now has multiple emergency combat plans.

Everything is in preparation for possible extreme attacks!

Some combat plans even include large numbers of enemy combat units and forces, including air, ground, magical, undead, and energy units, launching attacks against humanity...

Well, in that extreme scenario, the human pioneering and combat forces suffered heavy losses.

The operation ended when the last enemy unit breached the human defense network and began its counterattack on Earth through the time portal.

"The losing side: Humans"

"Failure reasons are being tallied..."

Commander Man shoved the cigarette butt into the ashtray and extinguished it.

"The loopholes are too big! Our combat personnel were careless, our positional defenses were negligent, our commanders and soldiers reacted hastily and lacked experience, and were arrogant... If the three races from the other world cooperate and draw our attention as we have simulated, then we still risk being breached!" Brigade Commander Man rubbed his temples. "Staff, continue the simulations, continue to strengthen our response and defenses! Compile and archive this combat simulation, and we'll have a meeting this afternoon to study more response and defense measures, and let the frontline commanders and soldiers participate in the study!"

"Yes!"

After the completely virtual combat rehearsal ended, Brigade Commander Man and his staff reviewed the exercise for more than 20 minutes, dissecting and analyzing the tactical errors and oversights before dragging his exhausted body back to his rest room.

Before even entering, a familiar figure could be seen in the rest area next door—it was none other than Su Mingjin.

She was standing by the window, holding a disposable paper cup in her hand.

"General Su? When did you arrive?" Commander Man was somewhat surprised.

"I just arrived. They told me you're having another round of simulation exercises. I figured it would be shrouded in smoke, so I didn't go in." Su Mingjin turned around. "How's the situation over there?"

Commander Man casually closed the door, walked to the table, and sat down heavily with a thud.

He picked up the enamel mug on the table and poured himself a mouthful of the now-cold tea.

“A complete mess.” His voice was a little hoarse. “The warriors made too much progress in the early stages of the campaign, and everyone from top to bottom got carried away. If we really follow the extreme scenarios in the simulation, and the three races team up to play dirty tricks on us, our defenses will be like a sieve, full of holes.”

"Adjust everyone's mindset, maintain reverence for war and life. You've all worked hard." Su Mingjin's voice was calm, without any extra words of comfort.

"It's not so much hardship, just frustrating!" Commander Man chuckled self-deprecatingly and pointed to the chair opposite him. "President Su, please sit down."

He got up, took another disposable cup, and refilled Su Mingjin's cup with hot water.

Holding the warm paper cup, watching the rising steam, Su Mingjin slowly spoke: "There have been some new developments in the interrogation and analysis of the dwarves in the past two days."

"Oh?"

“First, we can confirm that they can communicate normally. Second…” Su Mingjin paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, “the personalities and ways of doing things of these dwarves are… quite eccentric.”

"Dizzy?" Commander Man didn't understand.

"Their minds are filled with honor and war; their behavior, actions, and thoughts all exhibit considerable brainstem separation." Su Mingjin couldn't help but smile slightly. "Their ambitions are enormous, but unfortunately, their strength doesn't support it! Fortunately, they also have emotions and desires, and families!"

Commander Man was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile: "These guys... if that's really the case, then as long as we completely subdue them, the pressure on us will be much less."

Su Mingjin nodded and asked, "Commander Man, if I may ask you a question, given the current state of the troops, can they withstand a direct confrontation with the Elf and Dwarf Kingdoms, and, um, what about the attacks from the three races of the Undead Scourge?"

The slight smile on Brigade Commander Man's face vanished instantly.

He remained silent for a long time before answering in a deep voice, "It's not enough! We don't have enough troops, firepower, or personnel. Our understanding of this world's energy system is also far from sufficient! This world is very complex, Mr. Su. Have you seen the analysis of some dwarven rune steel from the other day?"

"I've seen it; it's excellent new material. I estimate that we'll be able to control these things in the future and craft our own special magical equipment!"

"General Su, the most crucial point is that many of those new materials utilize technologies that we only broke through in the 80s. The dwarves, who are clearly quite backward, are able to mass-produce them. The technological foundation of the dwarves and elves is definitely even deeper than what we've revealed so far! We still don't know how much more the other races in this world possess!" At this point, Commander Man added, "Of course, we are determined to give everything for victory!"

Determination can boost morale, but it cannot prevent defeat.

Su Mingjin didn't respond to that question, but instead handed over a document: "Take a look at this first, Gong Pengfei just compiled it."

She herself held a cup and slowly paced around Commander Man's small room.

A few minutes later, Brigade Commander Man put down the documents, his expression somewhat strange.

Su Mingjin stopped in her tracks: "What do you think? Dwarves, elves, undead, and ourselves—with these four on the chessboard, is it possible that they could unite and eliminate us first?"

“The probability is extremely low, but we must be on guard.” Commander Man rubbed his temples. “Given the current situation, the elves and dwarves are on the fringes, but they share a common racial survival crisis! It’s just that the undead scourge is too outrageous. I really don’t understand why they would cooperate with the other two races! As for humans… the probability of humans allying with them to attack us is very low. The other side is too far away.”

"The other three are most likely to team up and beat us up."

"What are our chances of winning? Can we win a decisive battle to annihilate the enemy?"

"General Su, war isn't like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division! No one knows the outcome until the very last moment." Brigade Commander Man's gaze fell on the document, where the lines that Gong Pengfei had marked in red were particularly glaring—"The dwarves and elves have a long-standing feud. We can exploit their internal conflicts to create friction and prevent them from cooperating."

Gong Pengfei's analysis was very logical and reasonable.

But Commander Man felt a strange unease, as if he were to act in this way, he would be like a troublemaker stirring up trouble everywhere.

Does that seem to fit in well with some troublemaker on Earth?

He suppressed the strange feeling and looked up, saying, "President Su, it is indeed troublesome for the three races to join forces. But as long as we establish an early warning mechanism for the elves and the northern undead, we will at least not be as passive as in the simulation."

The union of races from other worlds is nothing new.

Last time, the Elven race had a brain fart and inexplicably got involved with the Scourge. If the pioneering team hadn't been so lucky and managed to build the defensive base, they would be buried under a mountain of weeds by now.

Now, it won't be so easy to take on the tough challenge of the pioneering team.

If the two races launch another joint attack, Commander Man is confident he can knock their teeth out!

"We need to establish an early warning mechanism. In the coming days, you should conduct more simulations of the defense plans we need to make if the elves attack us!" Su Mingjin looked at Commander Man with a sharp look in her eyes.

"You think the other side might launch an attack on us soon..." Commander Man's heart skipped a beat.

Su Mingjin gently put down the paper cup and said, word by word, "I don't know, but it's always good to have a plan in place!"

"Understood, Mr. Su. I guarantee I will complete the mission."
-
In the modern world, the Zhu River, an ever-growing spacetime portal, is a controlled area.

Standing at the edge of the forbidden zone of the time-space portal, Zhang Funan stared at the enormous, azure-blue light gate before him, his face, marked with age spots, tense with shock. The light gate resembled a giant blue vortex embedded in the air, its water-like halo slowly flowing. Fully armed military trucks silently drove in or out, fully loaded, while personnel occasionally entered in vehicles.

The entire process was efficient and stable, with the azure light flowing slowly only when vehicles were entering and exiting.

“This…this is no longer a question of whether it’s outrageous or not.” Zhang Funan’s dry throat moved. He turned his head and looked at Li Weiguo beside him. “Little Li, now I understand why I, an old man, have to sign that confidentiality agreement that is more important than my life when I come into my own territory.”

If this information were to leak out, it would cause far more than just a huge upheaval.

It's likely that if the world-class S3 is launched directly, Li Guapi's S50 dream and his extravagant hope of "who else" will come to an early end.

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, everyone you meet for the first time reacts like this."

Li Weiguo respectfully offered the other man a cigarette, knowing the weight and importance of this seventy-year-old man.

Zhang Funan, a pillar of the navy's propaganda front, is a ruthless man who can portray seaweed and smog as strategic weapons of mass destruction.

The most classic achievement was that back then, through a relatively lighthearted and humorous interview program, along with a few appropriate tears, they managed to exaggerate the capabilities of a clearly advanced stealth fighter into a two-seat version of the J-10.

This deception convinced Commissioner Smith on the other side, who then angrily dismantled his own newly built stealth fighter production line upon returning home.

Then, once it's dismantled, it can't be put back together!

When the new fighter jets took to the sky, Commissioner Smith was initially stunned, but then overjoyed, while the Banana Man felt like the sky was falling!
Zhang Funan took the cigarette, held it to his nose and took a deep sniff of the familiar tobacco scent, then reluctantly tucked it behind his ear.

"We've already used up the three doses for today. We'll save this one and do it again in two hours." He patted his ear. "Xiao Li, the doctor really doesn't want me to draw any more. He said if I draw any more, I'll have to go see my old comrades."

Li Weiguo smiled and said, "I understand. I'm the same way. My blood pressure goes up, and my wife watches me more closely than a sentry."

The atmosphere between the two became more relaxed.

Seeing that Zhang Funan's gaze remained fixed on the light gate and the vehicles coming and going, Li Weiguo spoke up at the opportune moment: "Old Zhang, just watching isn't going to do anything. Why don't we go to the lounge first?"

“No, let’s talk right here.” Zhang Funan’s gaze sharpened, as if he were examining the most sophisticated weapon. “I’m more inspired here. I have a lot of lines and plans in my head right now!”

“Alright.” Li Weiguo stopped trying to persuade him. “Elder Zhang, you’ve seen the situation. Our development of the other world is expanding rapidly, and we can no longer hide our activities. Those guys have noses like dogs, and they’re swarming around us like flies, trying to figure out what we’re up to. To relieve the pressure, we had no other choice but to ask you, our great master, to come out of seclusion.”

"Don't flatter me, I'm just a retired old man waiting to die." Zhang Funan's gaze followed a 100-ton heavy truck that had just driven out of the light gate. "Let me ask you a question, why not just use civilian vehicles to go in and out? Why do you have to do a secondary transfer inside the base? Isn't that an extra procedure and a hassle?"

“It’s better to be safe than sorry, Elder Zhang.” Li Weiguo’s expression turned serious. “This is for information isolation. The two-stage transportation can minimize the direct contact between the personnel entering the time portal and the outside world, reducing the risk of information leakage. For us, negligence in any link could be fatal.”

"Hmm, that's thoughtful." Zhang Funan nodded, finally turning his gaze back. "So, what's the main course this time? The same old trick, a smokescreen?"

"Haha, Professor Zhang, you're half right." Li Weiguo smiled mysteriously. "A group of researchers who just rotated back from the other side will be arriving later. We'd like to ask you to exchange experiences with them. Let's see how to craft a good story to lure those outsiders who want to find out the truth back into the same trap!"

Li Weiguo paused, then grinned and said, "Our initial idea is to put on a few variety shows, package some reliable comrades who have performed well on the other side, put them in the spotlight, promote their achievements in a new light, and then find a place to lay the groundwork... and wait for the fish to take the bait."

"Is it because of variety shows?"

Zhang Funan was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up, and a kind of "excitement" burst forth from his cloudy eyes.

"Great! That's good!" He grinned, the cigarette tucked behind his ear almost falling off. "I know this stuff! Let them stir things up and watch the show, it's better than them staring at our necks! It's all negotiable, all negotiable!"

The old man's smile made Li Weiguo smile too.

He knew that those foreign spies lurking in the shadows were probably about to start wasting their brain cells.

During the exchange, lights flashed again, and then, the portal in the distance began to glow.

A white transport shuttle, unlike the military heavy trucks, silently drove from the direction of the time portal and finally came to a steady stop in the designated parking space not far away.

The car door slid open, and a group of people filed out.

Leading the group was Ding Jingming, the second batch of medical experts to arrive. Behind him were Chu Zhiheng, who wore thick-rimmed glasses and had a scholarly air, and Wang Yongxiang, a young scientist whose hairline was receding but whose eyes were still bright, making him look like a middle-aged man, but in fact he was not yet over 34 years old.

The group of people still looked tired, and some of them had a hint of reluctance about being temporarily transferred.

They had just been relieved from a high-intensity work rotation in another world and were forced to take a break.

In fact, none of these researchers wanted to rest.

Because time is the key to scientific research, and in order to leave a mark on history and have their names recorded in textbooks, they spend day and night in the laboratory.

Unfortunately, their superiors, out of consideration for their health, required them to adjust and rest after a certain period of time.

I thought I could just relax and go straight to my dorm to sleep soundly and replenish my energy.

Who knew that after only two days of rest, the leader said that we needed to cooperate on some kind of "publicity task".

At this moment, several people's faces were crestfallen.

"So mysterious! Who exactly is interviewing us? That interview with Peng Daqing last time—the script wasn't written by a professional at all. It was so dry and lifeless, like reading a report. If we didn't have inside information, watching those interviews would be completely pointless!"

"Tell me, isn't the behind-the-scenes interview hilarious?"

"When you try to be funny and end up making yourself look funny, it becomes a tragedy!"

"Yes, I'm most afraid of talking in front of the camera; it makes me feel so uncomfortable. I hope we're talking to beautiful women, and it would be great if Master Tie came over!"

"No, I think it would be better if Big Dudu came."

"Hey, you guys should be looking for Nuannuan!"

"Are you stupid? Nuannuan probably doesn't have any sense of keeping secrets..."

Talk broke out among the crowd; some were expectant, others were annoyed. Judging from the researchers' expressions, many were wary of this form of publicity.

However, when they got closer and turned around, they saw the unassuming old man standing next to Li Weiguo with a cigarette tucked behind his ear, and all the complaints stopped abruptly.

The air seemed to freeze for a second.

Immediately afterwards, a barely suppressed commotion arose in the crowd.

"Am I seeing things? That's... Professor Zhang?" A young researcher rubbed his eyes and nudged his colleague.

"Holy crap, Orange Throne!"

Just moments ago, Chu Zhiheng had looked exhausted, but suddenly his eyes behind his glasses shone with an alarming light. He grabbed Wang Yongxiang beside him and excitedly whispered, "Old Wang! Did you see that?! It's Old Zhang! Alive!"

Wang Yongxiang smoothed his thinning hair and sighed deeply, "It's over. The three days of leave I just applied for are probably going to turn into 'unpaid overtime'."

He said that, but the uncontrollable grin at the corners of his mouth completely betrayed his true thoughts.

"If you had made it clear earlier that it was to cooperate with this gentleman, I wouldn't have had a single complaint!" Chu Zhiheng rubbed his hands excitedly. "I thought it would be like Peng Daqing and the others, doing some kind of interview with model workers. I was so bored! I didn't expect it to be to cooperate with Old Zhang to make a program!"

"Hehe, this is getting interesting." Someone chimed in from behind, "I wonder what plan Old Zhang is going to use to lead that eagle into the ditch."

"What do we need to do? We just need to stand on the sidelines and shout 'Old Zhang is awesome!'"

As everyone approached, they confirmed that Li Weiguo and Ju Zuo had come to greet them, and they figured they were really going to cause trouble. Everyone's faces were full of smiles.

"Hehe, it really is the Orange Constellation! No wonder there was such a big fuss, turns out they've invited him out of retirement!"

"This isn't publicity, this is clearly trying to stir up trouble!"

"What's going on? What can Orange Dozen do? Isn't he from the ocean system?"

"I guess they're working on laser weapons. I heard that our new materials have made some breakthroughs in the field of laser weapons!"

"No way, it seems like the one we're liaising with is Orange. Is this some kind of biological and medical company that's trying to fool the eagles?"

Some people even had smiles on their faces, clearly very interested in cooperating with Orange to cause trouble.

These top talents, who usually bury themselves in the laboratory and deal with data and formulas, showed no sign of reluctance at this moment. They were all in high spirits, their eyes full of excitement and anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.

Although they are not required to participate in scientific research now, and some projects may have to be abandoned in the future, they have already achieved good results and are capable of winning several national awards.

This collaboration with Orange House is definitely something that will be recorded in some historical annals.

As these researchers from another world gathered, saluted, and then gave their introductions, the presentations were completed.

"Orange, I'm your fan! My Bilibili ID is 4396, and you even replied to my comments..."

"Me too, me too..."

"Haha, good...good..."

Li Weiguo watched as the actors instantly got into character, skipping over his own role and interacting well with the orange-clad man. They even had professionals find a place where they wouldn't leak secrets for a group photo. He couldn't help but find it amusing.

After waiting for quite some time, he cleared his throat and stepped forward to introduce, "Mr. Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Ding Jingming, the head of the research team cooperating with this operation."

Ding Jingming quickly stepped forward, respectfully extending both hands: "Old Zhang, hello! I've long admired your name, it's legendary! You can use our men at will, we guarantee they'll do exactly what you ask, no questions asked!"

After the initial fan meeting, Zhang Funan's cloudy eyes swept across the faces of the group, like a picky director scrutinizing his actors.

The old man grinned, revealing his white teeth. His gaze then lingered on the most excited faces of Chu Zhiheng and Wang Yongxiang before he slowly spoke.

"The reason I'm here is to participate in a variety show with everyone. I've participated in a few episodes of this show before. This time, we're not only going to fool outsiders, but also some of our own people."

"So, from now on, you need to maintain your conviction."

Zhang Funan tucked the cigarette back behind his ear, speaking each word with conviction.

"You are people who have achieved remarkable results in your respective fields thanks to all sorts of small inspirations..."

"Orange is right!"

"Your insight is brilliant, Orange-sama!"

Seeing that many people were crowding around Zhang Funan and he was being pushed aside, Li Weiguo smiled and moved aside, then looked at the messengers carrying the information.

Any news today?

"President Li, President Su didn't say much. Today's log is full of various analyses, infrastructure, simulation training, and routine tests..."

(End of this chapter)