The League had yet to officially start. Ye He stood with the entire command team in the command centre, waiting quietly.
Countless surveillance drones hovered above the battlefield, monitoring every corner and sending footage back to the command tower.
In the command tower, several examiners were busy adjusting the perspectives on screen in order to display the most accurate picture of the battlefield.
Norton Grantz was also present. He sat at the head of the conference table on the side, the commanders of the various legions and cabinet ministers to either side of him. Nobles unrelated to either organization such as Kevin Clinton were also present.
It was hard to imagine a mere legion competition bringing together many of the major powers in the Empire.
Secretary-General Lin Huixuan stood to one side as usual. On His Majesty’s other side was a guard wearing a metal mask over the lower half of his face with a sword at his waist.
When all the instruments were tuned and everything ready, Secretary-General Lin leaned down slightly and whispered.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to announce the start.”
Norton Grantz opened his eyes. His psychic power instantly transmitted like electricity to each base.
His psychic power was even capable of giving orders across galaxies, so the time needed to transverse this distance was negligible.
Nearly simultaneously, the screens of the command console in each base suddenly dimmed to reveal interweaving sword and flames, the symbol of the Empire.
All those in the command centres stopped what they were doing and saluted the insignia.
With that, Norton Grantz’s voice rang out in the command centres. His orders were formal and concise as always.
[Raise the flag.]
“Understood!”
The screen returned to normal a few seconds later. Everyone returned to their stations.
The bases were quickly taken over and the command centres immediately made operational.
Ye He sat in the center of the command console, channeling his psychic power into the terminal and making sure every channel was unobstructed. Then, he began to process all the incoming data at an incredible speed, giving one command after another.
Logistics and medical began to sort through the supplies and report in. Weapons were distributed to the troops. Row upon row of mechs opened their cockpits. Their student pilots stood on them with their hands behind their backs, ready to input their psychic power as soon as the order was given.
Ye Yun and Ye Muo also put on their combat helmets and took out their weapons. They joined one of the squads and stood by.
The helmets were connected to the command centre and allowed them to receive orders at any time. It also had an auxiliary processing device installed that could perform calculations and analysis after the visor was pulled down. Only their nose and chin would be exposed afterwards.
Just a few minutes later, squad after squad of people or mechs exited the base in single file. They set off with clear purpose to the coordinates relayed by the commanders to set up ambush or directly attack.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“I noticed in the images coming back that there are lifeguard robots at regular intervals along the river, suggesting it may be quite deep.”
“Why don’t we send out the first years to scout it out? We’ll be able to ascertain whether it’s crossable while also testing the enemy’s firepower radius.”
They quickly filed an application in the system for the commander-in-chief to review.
Ye He had his eyes closed as he channeled psychic power into the command terminal. He was in the middle of handling initial deployments, but he quickly approved the application and specifically issued the mission to Ye Muo and Ye Yun’s squad.
Although Ye Yun has always wanted to stay on the field a while longer, Ye Muo required injections on a daily basis. It was best to send him out as soon as possible. How long Ye Yun could stay depended on his own capabilities.
Sending first years out to perform such tasks was a trick everyone knew was only okay in battlefield simulations. Treating the soldiers under your command so flippantly in a real battle would be abhorrent, but sending first years to do such tasks in a battlefield simulation was almost an unspoken rule of sorts.
After all, the first years still in their development periods were weak and knew little of military tactics. They couldn’t pilot mechs or beat anyone in a fight, and leaving them at the base would only waste resources. It was best to quickly deploy them as bait or scouts.
At a certain exit of the base.
Ye Yun leaned against the wall hugging his gun. Ye Muo and a bunch of their squadmates sat beside him. There were about a dozen people in total, and they were obviously very excited just to squat by the base. Everyone was happily chattering away.
Ye Muo listened in on the side.
“Did you know? The seniors said that when we sacrifice ourselves, an audio clip will play in our earpieces. I think it’s something like ‘The Empire will raise the flag for your sacrifice’. More importantly, His Majesty’s the one saying it!”
“That’s wicked. So this means we’ll never die in vain, right? I want to go test it out right away…”
“Me too. When will we get our orders? I hope we won’t be kept in the base until the end like some of the seniors were last year.”
As soon as that last sentence fell, everyone’s conversations suddenly came to a halt. Their earpieces simultaneously relayed the command center’s latest orders.
[Mission: Cross the river to the east, install the data collection device and return to base. Please depart immediately.]
Everyone stood up.
Ye Yun went to haul one of the data collection devices onto his back. Some of the others quickly followed his example.
The exit nearby slowly opened.
Ye Yun thought for a moment and took off the device on his back. He handed it to Ye Muo.
“You carry it.”
Then he retrieved the machine gun hanging across his shoulders and shouted.
“The people carrying devices should gather in the middle. Everyone else, provide cover.”
The originally loosely organized squad gained some structure with Ye Yun’s orders.
Ye Muo and the other people carrying devices were surrounded in the middle of the group. Ye Yun walked in the forefront.
The squad headed towards the river in the east.
……
In the Second Military Academy’s command centre.
The boy in glasses didn’t input his psychic power into the command centre, because that meant a vast amount of data would flow directly into his mind. Processing so much information while swiftly organizing deployments was not something he believed he could handle yet.
Actually, although each command centre would be equipped with terminals that allowed psychic power access, very few commanders-in-chief would choose to use them.
Although direct access was a more efficient way of receiving data and issuing orders to squads, their flow of thought would inevitably slow under the overwhelming amount of data pouring in.
The boy with the glasses greatly admired Ye He for being capable of such a feat, but he was more accustomed to the traditional forms of command. Although his personal ability might lose out to Ye He, the end result was the same.
He might have a lot of shortcomings, but he also had many excellent comrades who could make up for them.
“Send the order to all troops: do not rush to attack when encountering a squad of first years. Report back to command and await instructions before acting.”
The glasses boy went on to check the real-time feedback from each squad. “The earliest squad sent out was already attacked. How quick. At this rate, the match might end earlier than I thought.”
His comrade next to him had a serious expression. “If there are no surprises, this likely means that Ye He has almost finished deployment. He’s never been one to face the enemy head-on before setting up his pieces. He really is a walking contradiction sometimes, attacking so aggressively while being overly cautious during initial deployment.”
The boy with the glasses disagreed.
“You’re wrong. Ye He has always been the same. He’s cautious even when on the offensive. It’s just the chaos on the battlefield that makes him appear aggressive. However, he always chooses the plan with the least casualties.
Under his command last year, even the notoriously difficult to manage first years had a survival rate of more than 50%. Rather than being aggressive, he just hates unnecessary casualties and inefficiency in general.”
These details have not been made public before. Several people around the glasses boy became solemn.
He leaned back in his chair and remained calm.
“There’s no need to be too pessimistic. The disparity in strength between the various departments of the First and Second Military Academies isn’t that bag, and we have April. At least for now, we have more chips on the table than Ye He. The scales of victory are still tilted in our favour at the moment. Let’s do our best this time to dethrone him for once.”
The glasses boy stated as he processed data.
“We’ve spent six years sweating our way through school, all for today’s sake. I hope that by the time we’re done here, everyone will be able to say to yourself that you’ve given it your all. It is my honour to lead all of you today. I already have no regrets.”
Everyone in the command centre answered affirmatively in unison.
The panic and tension that was beginning to spread in the room vanished without a trace.
Footage from both command centres were relayed to the command tower.
The legion commanders and cabinet ministers were already embroiled in quiet discussion.
The initial performances of both commanders-in-chief were acknowledged.
“The First Military Academy’s commander-in-chief is truly formidable.”
“Yes. I believe that’s Ye He, Legion Commander Ye’s eldest son. It seems that the Ye family has a successor. What a shame his psychic power didn’t break through to Level S. On that note, the Second Military Academy does have a Level S, but he specializes in mecha and is relatively untalented when it comes to command. Although his future is also bright…”
Level S psychic power could play a much more pivotal role when used to command thousands of soldiers rather than operate a single mech.
“He will become a fine dagger of the Empire. Speaking of which, the Second Military Academy’s commander-in-chief is not bad either. He has the right mentality. More experience will serve to refine that talent. It’s unfortunate he ended up facing off against Ye He. Any other opponent and he should have been able to dominate the battlefield.”
Ye Zhiyuan was also present. He sat near the end of the conference table.
The people around him also knew that Ye He was his son and began to offer their congratulations in advance. His handsome features remained schooled as he thanked them. Then, whether out of politeness or actual critique, he explained that Ye He could still do better. Not only that, he cited numerous examples to support his points.
Kevin Clintion had no such scruples. He intended to put in a good word or two on the Ye family’s behalf. These two children of theirs really were exceptional. Kevin started praising Ye He right to the nearby Norton Grantz.
“Your Majesty, the First Military Academy’s commander-in-chief is the one I told you about before, Ye He. He is Legion Commander Ye’s eldest child. His second son, Ye Yun, also has potential. He should be in his first year now. During the freshmen incident last time, he faced off directly with the king insect.”
Norton Grantz absentmindedly rested his chin on one hand as he reviewed the footage. He seemed to become somewhat interested. “I recall a child with considerable psychic power sending me a plea for help while entangled with the king insect.”
Secretary-General Lin perceptively located the surveillance drone by Ye Yun’s location and sent it closer in.
“Your Majesty, the one in the front should be Ye Yun.”
The helmets everyone on screen was wearing obscured many features. Their identity could only be verified through the positioning devices on each student.
Ye Yun was leading a squad of first years in the direction of the river. The soldiers carrying devices had been relegated to the center of their formation. Overall, the squad looked decently organized.
A faint tremble ran through the hand Ye Zhiyuan was resting on his knee. Others might not be able to tell, but he knew at a glance that the one in the forefront was Ye Yun, and the one in the middle wearing a backpack was Ye Muo.
Thanks for the update!
Don’t worry, I’ll just shoot you first. Lmao! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️
What is YZY so afraid of? What has he plotted? What is the truth behind our cub’s birth?
He’s afraid that Norton might discover that YM is his son and accuse them of abduction?
I personally think he’s hiding Ye Muo from the emperor ’cause he’s afraid the emperor will kill him – from what the synopsis said, the emperor killed all of his family so that the family line (and the madness they inherit) will end with him so I’m guessing Ye Zhiyuan is afraid Ye Muo will be killed if discovered 🤔 at least that’s what i think since so far, Ye Zhiyuan genuinely cares for Ye Muo and wishes for him to live in peace and safety~
+1
Will His Majesty recognize that the one who called for plea in the king insect incident was Ye Muo? Either way, I’m still waiting for the fated meeting of both Father and Son. And also, Ye Zhiyuan’s reaction to that.
2 more chappies to go~ I’m so damn impatient ><
No fr😭
Thanks for the chapter!