Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

A soldier grabbed the terrified lieutenant and shoved a rifle into his arms: "Take this! Everyone must participate in the fight!"

"That's not how it works... No, that's not right!"

"You didn't say you wanted to kill those soldiers directly; we're here to persuade him to join us!"

Despite saying that, the lieutenant still grabbed his gun and joined the charge.

The fierce Battle of Moscow had begun.

Chapter 391 The Death of the Major

This is a place where brass is denser than air.

In the distance, the sound of bullet primers exploding formed a stirring symphony, and the booming explosions in the air made one's chest pound.

Among these tens of thousands of bullets, even a small piece of alloy, no bigger than a fingertip, that pierces the body will kill a person instantly.

A guy who was full of energy just a moment ago, gripping an assault rifle, can turn into a corpse that even dogs wouldn't want in an instant.

"..."

Lying on the metal gangway was a body that was about to grow cold.

Unlike the other corpses, this one was dressed in a clean lieutenant's uniform, and its eyes were wide open and refused to close.

Major Soloviev moved slightly as he passed the 'corpse'.

"..."

The major stopped his bodyguard from finishing off the lieutenant and instead walked up to the lieutenant who refused to close his eyes.

His blood-soaked eyes stared blankly at him, and he uttered a weak sound:

“We…are not traitors, we just…want…fairness.”

"..."

After he finished speaking, his pupils began to dilate.

Major Soloviev sighed, blindfolded the lieutenant, and pulled the dog tag identifying him from his chest.

……

The major felt as if something was blocking his chest, and he inhaled the cold, biting air deeply to make himself feel a little better.

He asked his personal guards, "How is the battle going? Tell me about it."

"Yes, sir!" The guard saluted and began to report.

"One hour into the battle, our side lost a large area of ​​space from the port to the No. 2 gangway, and eleven factory production lines were occupied by the enemy. The identity of the enemy is unknown."

"In the third hour after the battle began, the enemy started trying to persuade us to surrender, but we were met with a fierce counterattack. With the help of grenadiers, we recaptured three factories."

"The battle has been going on for four hours now, and the arms depot is currently safe and sound."

Soloviev: "What about the port?"

"It has fallen, and there is intense fighting going on."

The major asked again, "Have all the workers been evacuated?"

"As you instructed, the remaining 171 workers all left through the hidden escape route on a transport submarine."

"..."

From the voice of the guard, one could sense some dissatisfaction.

If they had known about this hidden escape route earlier, they could have helped more people leave the station instead of being trapped inside.

The major chuckled self-deprecatingly, then explained, "They were able to leave because they were not involved in the war, while the duty of soldiers like us is to obey orders and guard our territory."

“If we run away too, we’ll be no different from these ‘traitorous soldiers’.”

"..."

Upon hearing this, the guard silently expressed his disdain.

He then added:

"In addition, 63 workers remained and are currently reinforcing the fortifications near the warehouse."

The major's self-deprecating smile vanished instantly, replaced by an unusually serious expression.

Why didn't they evacuate according to regulations?

The guard replied smugly, "Those people all stayed voluntarily. They said... there are no cowards among those who came out of the Red Star Station. They would rather die than let those rebels take a single gun or bullet from here."

"..."

"Hahaha!" Soloviev suddenly burst into laughter.

At the same time, the bodyguard stood at attention and saluted, saying:

"It's not just them; all 551 soldiers on the station think the same way. If we were to scatter these tens of tons of weapons, we could certainly survive, but the humans on Europa would be plunged into an endless civil war. Trading 500 people for 5000 rebels is a win for us, Major."

"Pah!" The major took out a flat steel flask that he hadn't touched in a long time, bit open the cap, and took a swig, saying:

"After Major Luo left, the alcohol started to taste worse..."

"Alright, stop saying things like 'we've made a profit.' If we traded one of our soldiers for those self-serving rebels, I'd still think it's a loss even if we traded a hundred for one! What kind of bullshit fairness do these guys want? The Europa Alliance has only two words since its inception: might makes right!"

"We are the tools that will stop at nothing to ensure the continuation of the human race. Human rights are not even a consideration for us. We have only one goal: anyone who dares to challenge human dominance in this icy ocean will be crushed by our iron fist!"

Even humans themselves are no exception!

"Go tell the soldiers... to defend the armory at all costs, and to send out distress signals on public radio channels. We must spread the word that these people have rebelled!"

The guard stood at attention and said, "Yes, sir! I'll go and make arrangements with the control tower right away!"

"..." Watching the soldiers depart, Soloviev felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had just drunk the last 'rations' he'd left for himself; liquid bread sounded good, but it was practically gone in a flash. No reinforcements would arrive. Soloviev knew this perfectly well. Moreover, he knew—the Europa Alliance wouldn't take these matters to heart. The situation in the capital was already troublesome enough; they were incapable of handling anything more. The intelligence department's resources were extremely depleted across the upper echelons; all personnel were involved in the development of the 'Vault Project.' To deal with the rebellion at the outlying sites, they had transferred a large amount of C-4 explosives from the New Moscow site a month ago to the assembly point. It seemed that if the rebellion in the 'Europa Ridge' area spiraled out of control, the intelligence department planned to detonate the bombs at the assembly point, severing the original shortcut and abandoning all the sites in the area. Furthermore, by reviewing the documents, Soloviev discovered that the Alliance's upper echelons seemed to have already... They were determined to do it. Their lack of supplies recently was based on this tacitly accepted reason for abandonment. Now, their only supply from the Alliance in a month had been wasted by the rebellious soldiers, leaving their warehouses empty. The reason the site had become so cold was simple: the nuclear fuel had been running out of power for half a month, and the last reactor crew had begun evacuating a week ago. The fuel had deteriorated to the point of being unsustainable, and a catastrophic shutdown was imminent. This was the truth… they would fight alone, without reinforcements, supplies, or any escape route, in a final, desperate battle. Major Soloviev still chose to lie to his soldiers. The soldiers' determination to fight to the death was one thing; telling them there was no chance of survival was another. He couldn't let this message get out, or the soldiers' morale would collapse quickly. Besides, even the warehouses were now overflowing with people starving. Rats would further crush their fighting spirit. Starvation was the most humiliating way to die. If he could, Soloviev wished he could die on the battlefield like his great-grandfather and grandfather. This defensive battle, known as the 'Battle of New Moscow,' displayed its extreme brutality from the outset. After the port fell, the mutinous soldiers continuously called for their comrades outside, and more and more people boarded the station and joined the battle. Five hours into the battle, after confirming that the station had no intention of surrendering, the mutinous soldiers launched an attack on the weakest point of the station, the No. 1 gangway. Their aim was to seize the armory at the bottom. However, they would soon realize they had chosen the wrong path. As mentioned before, New Moscow Station, formerly known as 'Chongshan Station,' was a station built strictly according to fortifications, not only externally but also internally. Its middle level had almost no metal walls supporting the space; the entire large open space was supported by several alloys of special materials. The gangway was made up of pillars, with the ladder winding down their surfaces. This meant that if the insurgents wanted to descend the gangway, they would have to circle around to the unprotected outer side of the pillars, then charge down under machine gun fire that acted like anti-aircraft positions. When the bodies of the fallen nearly filled the exit of the first gangway, the insurgents finally realized this route was impassable. Even if they climbed down from the back using ropes, a slight lapse in concentration would result in a 40-meter freefall. They then turned their attention to the second gangway, which they had already captured. The second gangway didn't lead to the lowest-level armory; it was a spiral staircase that wound through the entire open space, allowing access to any level of the street. However, this was the most heavily guarded area, with sandbags and heavy machine gun positions set up by soldiers along the way, as well as plenty of grenades to throw. After all, this was a heavy industrial site specializing in arms manufacturing; weapons were plentiful, and five hundred men armed to the teeth wouldn't be an exaggeration. On the insurgents' side… By the sixth hour, they were severely exhausted. Major Soloviev's soldiers held the area like a fortified trench, waging a fierce carnage in the factory district. Initially, the mutinous soldiers were quickly routed and fled the factory area. However, three battalions transferred from the port swiftly captured three factories, frequently employing infiltration tactics to outflank the enemy through the complex factory buildings. The major immediately realized something was amiss with these men; compared to the previous submariners, they were like reservists to professional marines. He was forced to abandon the advantageous terrain of the factory, concentrating his limited forces on the second and third floors, using grenade throws to scatter the advancing troops, and then using crossfire from submachine guns and assault rifles to force them back. This approach was quite ineffective, as the enemy also possessed similar weapons, though they couldn't indiscriminately unleash bullets like the major's men. He never imagined that the weapons he had manufactured would one day be used against his own people. "... …” Thirty-six hours into the Battle of New Moscow—an eerie silence descended. Just moments before, the site had plunged into darkness, followed by emergency lights illuminating the main passageways. The site's only nuclear reactor, having accumulated excessive toxins through continuous fission, finally shut down its generators, which had run for forty years without ever stopping, after emitting a 'fried spine' smell. Within a few short hours, a layer of frost covered the metal walls of the site. Food supplies within the site were nearing zero, and with the power outage, hunger and cold immediately enveloped everyone. —. Seventy-two hours later… In general, during the Battle of New Moscow, the attacking insurgents held a numerical and temporal advantage. They had access to external supplies, and over 5000 soldiers were engaged in the battle. However, they were generally in a somewhat disarrayed state, with roughly two brigades fighting against just over 500 men in an exceptionally arduous struggle. Hand-to-hand combat. At the New Moscow site, they held a certain degree of terrain advantage; the nuclear power plant, shut down a day and a half earlier, had significantly slowed the enemy's advance. While this also reflected the enemy's desire to avoid further bloodshed and slowly wear them down with cold and hunger, it bought them more time, enough to make some modifications to the site in the dark. Now, they were out of ammunition and supplies… The fall of the New Moscow site seemed only a matter of time. — For the past three days, Major Soloviev had endured excruciating pain in his abdomen. It wasn't illness or bullets that tormented him, but hunger. His eyebrows and eyelashes were covered in ice, and his mustache was completely frozen. The major lay helplessly inside a circular bunker made of sandbags. Outside, more and more soldiers surrounded him. "…". No more gunshots could be heard; silence descended. Most of the 551 soldiers had died in battle, and the rest mostly succumbed to wounds, hunger, and cold. Sixty-three workers, having completed the final modifications, launched a desperate charge against the insurgent soldiers, determined not to starve to death in the camp. "..." The insurgent soldiers were currently pounding on the armory door. Originally, four heavy machine guns should have been firing, but now not a single sound was uttered. Major Soloviev sighed dejectedly, only to find that the guard beside him wasn't afraid, but rather his finger was frozen to the trigger. "..." He then pulled a detonator from his back... just in case, its internal structure was very simple: simply throw the part near the lever to the ground, and gravity would solve everything. During the days the reactor was shut down, the remaining workers and soldiers had been working diligently to modify the armory's interior, turning all the available C4 material into explosives and burying them in the armory and the main support structures of the site. "..." Perhaps it was time to say something courageous, like "For the Alliance!" or "Glory to humanity!" But the major was too hungry to speak. "..." His arm trembled as if he had muscle weakness, and he struggled to throw the detonator. "...What was that noise?!"

In an instant, the ammunition depot in front of the rebel soldiers turned into a ball of flame, the massive explosion shaking the entire station. But that wasn't the end of it. After detonating the explosives in the ammunition depot, the remaining explosives followed in quick succession. Waves of explosions surged from the bottom to the top, eventually detonating the explosives embedded in the rock at the very top of Chongshan Station. With a deafening roar—! The largest explosion destroyed the supporting structure of what was originally Chongshan Station, debris raining down from the sky. Then, seawater rushed in, creating huge breaches in the station's structure. The pressure of the seabed at a depth of 2000 meters instantly destroyed the station itself. The rebel soldiers frantically tried to leave through the port, but the shockwaves from the explosion caused the seabed to collapse. Ultimately, everyone was buried deep beneath the frigid ocean.

Chapter 392 A Plan to Turn the Tide

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Europa Alliance, there was also a group of people who were starving.

"..."

Luo Tianming couldn't possibly conjure up an endless supply of food; that would make others wonder why his submarine had so many supplies.

However, no matter how scarce the supplies were, it was not them who were starving, but the common people... The energy bars in the supply packs given by the Painted Skin Cult could only last for two meals at most. After everything quieted down, their little heads were filled with immense hunger.

The public is demanding more from the Painted Skin Cult.

However, these same priests who had just been putting on a show of 'kindness' were now as harsh as 19th-century factory owners, believing that the most expensive things in the world were often obtained for free.

If they don't want money, don't ask for anything in return, and don't show any kindness, then you should consider whether what they want is your life.

"..."

Upon seeing some clearly greenhorn soldiers standing at the forefront with guns, Lieutenant General Lycam immediately summoned Luo Tianming.

With a look of anxiety in his eyes, he asked, "Do you have any plans?"

“We can’t just wait like this… If those people further consolidate their control over the people of the capital, they will incorporate these people into their suicide squad.”

“Once they reach a certain scale, we will be helpless if they command these people to launch a human wave attack.”

As the bald lieutenant general said, they are currently at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Although they have centralized the former rebel soldiers and established a disciplinary battalion, their total strength is still less than three thousand.

Moreover, they all rely on mechanized armored vehicles for mobile defense, and if they are overwhelmed by human wave tactics, there is a risk of total collapse.

Most importantly, he did not want, nor did he wish, for such a large-scale upheaval to erupt in the capital, which would then lead to a chaotic scene where the entire population of the capital turned against each other.

That's how people are; once they start something, they become incredibly decisive, but if they give up halfway, they become indecisive.

Luo Tianming continued to review the intelligence reports coming from various parts of the capital:

"The Painted Skin Cult has been acting strangely lately. Do you have any information about them?"

Lieutenant General Lycam looked worried: "I have no idea. The sect's members are a mixed bag, and they have been constantly pursued by the Alliance, forming a highly secretive structure. Even the intelligence department can't plant any spies."

"..."

By the way, it seems that Luo Tianming himself is the biggest 'agent' in the Painted Skin Cult.

He frowned and asked, "Has the Painted Skin Cult held any ceremonies or similar events recently? Has Archbishop Yakov given any speeches?"

“No,” the lieutenant general said firmly. “They haven’t come to the port to confront us recently, and they’ve been indifferent to our attacks. Every time we attack the fortifications, they release some parasitic creatures to prevent us from advancing.”

"..." Luo Tianming noticed something was amiss: Knowing the nature of Yakov's group, when they were in hiding, they were virtually impossible to find; you could turn the entire site upside down and still not find them. But once they decided to appear, they would inevitably make headlines and appear before everyone's eyes. Their current silence proved they were preparing to act, just like the 'martial law' they had previously imposed. Luo Tianming immediately became certain: "They must be preparing some big plan recently; they probably want to launch a surprise attack on us."

"!" "!!!

Upon hearing this possibility, Lieutenant Colonel Lycam immediately wanted to warn everyone. "Hey, hey, don't rush~" Luo Tianming, contrary to his usual behavior, pulled him back. "Right now, our internal intelligence is practically transparent to the enemy. If you make any move, won't they know their plan has been exposed?"

"..." Lieutenant General Lycam glanced at his calm expression and knew that Luo Tianming already had a plan: "How do you intend to deal with this?"

"The Painted Skin Cult isn't planning to launch an attack? That suits me perfectly~ You can probably guess how they'll sneak up on us, since they were all your soldiers before."

"The bald lieutenant general sighed, "They will most likely let soldiers in first. It's impossible for everyone in the army to know everyone. As long as we only infiltrate 1 to 3 at a time, it will be difficult for us to spot these soldiers who look exactly like us."

Luo Tianming: "That's right. Then they can get intelligence from our side, while slowing down the pace of the frontline attack to make us lower our guard, and then launch a surprise attack from both inside and outside."

"As for the timeframe, it should be roughly between tonight and tomorrow. You should realize it by now, or a little later."

"..." The lieutenant general looked ashamed for a moment, then asked: "So what's our plan, to pretend we don't know anything until tonight?"

"...". "Where does the difference lie between our combat capabilities and those of the Painted Skin Cult?"

"Numbers... The enemy has a massive mass base that we can't match, but numbers can sometimes become a disadvantage—most of their soldiers aren't very skilled, and the untrained recruits aren't even combat-ready. Their only purpose on the battlefield is to use their numerical advantage to intimidate us."

"..." Luo Tianming pointed to the area north of the capital on the map and said, "Tonight, they will definitely mobilize all their forces, so their rear is vulnerable."

"We'll leave the empty camp to them and let them raid as they please. Our main objective is the enemy church's stronghold and Archbishop Yakov."

"."this……!

The lieutenant general was taken aback by his audacious plan. Although the plan did have a certain possibility of being implemented, it meant that they would have to abandon the camp they were currently defending, and if they made a mistake, they would be completely defeated. Luo Tianming continued to him, "Believe me, nothing is more important than this."

If we can capture Archbishop Yakov, we can end the war in the capital.

"..." This was a very risky decision, but it could also bring equally risky rewards. The lieutenant general finally made his decision: "How should you implement your plan?"

Luo Tianming replied seriously, "First, issue a disbandment order. We must pretend we don't know anything about the enemy's actions. Then, we will gradually regroup our troops... Colonel-level officers will receive their specific mission orders this afternoon, lieutenant-level officers will receive their orders in the evening, and soldiers will receive their orders an hour before the operation."

"It is essential to ensure that information circulates only among officers, not soldiers, in order to confuse the enemy to the greatest extent possible."

"If I'm not mistaken, the only ones left behind by the rebel soldiers are the recently recruited 'new recruits.' Such troops are very easy to rout. If a major battle causes their casualty rate to reach 10%, they will lose the courage to fight again, and if it reaches 15%, it will lead to a rout."

"He paused noticeably at this point, then said expressionlessly, "I need you to issue orders to instruct the troops to use any means necessary to achieve their objectives during combat: thermobaric weapons, depleted uranium munitions, incendiary bombs... use everything that can be used."

"Whether an operation succeeds depends entirely on the extent of sacrifice you are willing to make."

"...". Each of the weapons Luo Tianming mentioned was extremely deadly and inhumane. Using any one of them would mean Lieutenant General Lycam would never have a good reputation again. But... he looked at Luo Tianming: "Are you really sure this will solve the battle in the capital?"

"What if the rebel soldiers still don't surrender after we behead Yakov?"

Luo Tianming nodded and said, "They will—at the crucial moment, I will release a nuclear bomb outside the capital station, leaving them no choice!"

"—!"

"The advent of nuclear weapons is undoubtedly a death sentence for the people of the capital. If they refuse to surrender, the next nuclear bomb could very well explode on them. This is the final notice from the Europa Alliance. Panic will surely grip the capital." Seeing that Luo Tianming was also determined, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll do as you say!"

"But before that... I have a request."

"Get my daughter Rose to a safe place first!"

None of us can guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen to the site, therefore she cannot afford any losses!

This was a father's last request.

Chapter 393 Fear

Luo Tianming is currently feeling very depressed.

With a major battle imminent, I never expected that my most troublesome task would be to protect a woman, or more precisely, a girl.

The lieutenant general's daughter... Everything he did was for her, for the child. A man can become more terrifying than a demon, and more holy than an angel.

He wouldn't be afraid even if Lieutenant General Lycam faced a military court-martial and execution by hanging, as long as she was rescued.

The bold plans that the two had envisioned could then be implemented without any obstacles.

However, at this crucial moment, something unusual happened with Miss Rose: no matter how the lieutenant general tried to persuade her, she refused to leave the station or even her bedroom.

This really worried him... In desperation, he had no choice but to ask Luo Tianming for help, hoping that he could temporarily arrange for her to be moved to a safe place.