471: Chapter 453 One shot and your balls will be blown to smithereens

Thanks to the successive completion of factories, Lake initially possessed the capability to produce war materials, eliminating the need for Zhang Mu to transport weapons and ammunition back and forth; otherwise, Domit would have been unable to launch an attack on Kingdom.

The Legion Commanders left the Command Post and rushed without pause to the stations of their respective legions to assemble the Soldiers for deployment.

Domit remained at the Command Post, handwriting the application to initiate the war.

In the past, when Zhang Mu was present, military activities only required his permission; now that he was away, the normal procedures had to be followed.

In truth, there was no real need for the application.

All legions in Lake were under Domit's command, and Domit only took orders from Zhang Mu. The Soldiers also knew Zhang Mu but not the King of Lake, who had no presence whatsoever in the legions.

In any other Kingdom, this would be enough to trigger a nationwide upheaval.

A king would inevitably fear the Grand Legion Commander, feeling anxious even while eating or sleeping about how to reclaim military power. With such great power in hand and loyal troops, it would be hard for a Grand Legion Commander not to covet that crown.

However, the political situation in Lake was very calm. There was no struggle for military power between the military and the king, and they coexisted very harmoniously.

The king was happy not to have to divide his energy to manage the legions, spending every day practicing and practicing, striving to promote to Saint-level as soon as possible.

Domit had absolutely no interest in the crown; his only belief in this life was to follow Zhang Mu and build a utopia.

Under this premise, the king would not interfere with any of Domit's decisions.

Domit eventually finished writing the application out of respect for Avril. The relationship between Zhang Mu and Avril had not been publicly announced, but those close to them knew it clearly.

He folded the paper and tucked it into the inner lining pocket of his military uniform, then ordered his assistant to prepare a car to rush to the royal capital and hand it to Avril personally for approval.

Avril understood that the war between Lake and Kingdom was inevitable, so she signed it decisively after only a few glances at the application.

Early the next morning, the fully assembled army set out.

Troop carriers full of infantry drove out of the main camp, stretching for a hundred miles along the recently completed asphalt road. Standing in the middle of the column and looking back and forth, one could see neither the beginning nor the end of the line.

Following closely behind was the armored corps, with tanks in long lines rumbling forward, their exhaust pipes occasionally emitting puffs of black smoke. The roar of the engines burst into the mountain forests on both sides, startling the birds resting on the branches into frantically spreading their wings and taking flight.

Farmers who had never seen trucks before stopped curiously by the roadside, their eyes following the moving vehicles as they speculated what kind of magical beasts these were, how they were bred, and how they compared in strength to the Kingdom's elite Griffon legions.

Soldiers marching at the rear of the line with rifles on their shoulders heard this and explained with a smile that these were not magical beasts.

...

Gur City.

A jungle camouflage jeep slowly stopped three kilometers away from the Silent Forest.

The Third Legion Commander rolled down the window and raised his binoculars to observe the forest.

At this time, the Silent Forest appeared transparent, like a mountain carved from high-purity crystal. Looking through the illusory trees, one could see several magical beasts curled up on the mountaintops in deep slumber.

"Tsk." Clicking his tongue, the Third Legion Commander said to the Soldier who was both his driver and adjutant, "Before worrying about a sneak attack from Kingdom, we must first prepare for the magical beasts."

"Yes, if the magical beasts from the Silent Forest charge toward Gur in groups, it might not be easy for our forces to hold them off."

"Don't worry too much. I've already reported to Grand Legion Commander Domit. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Besides, the magical beasts might not necessarily head our way."

The Third Legion Commander spoke casually, but his nerves were actually taut.

From the day they arrived in Gur, the work of digging trenches had not stopped for a single second. During this time, he had also been constantly requesting heavy weapons from the rear, striving to line every trench with machine guns.

The Third Legion Commander wasn't very worried about the massive number of low-level magical beasts in the forest; what he feared were the significant number of high-level magical beasts.

"Lord Legion Commander, Madam Pavlina is coming." The Soldier in the back seat responsible for protecting him answered the walkie-talkie and quickly reported after listening for a moment.

"Hmm? What is she doing here?"

"Uh, she said she's here to scout the enemy situation. Should I find an excuse..."

"Don't."

The Third Legion Commander scratched his head and pushed the door open to get out: "Even if she's the Marshal's wife without an official status, we cannot show her any less respect. Go, call the Third Battalion over for escort duty."

"Yes!" The Soldier opened the walkie-talkie to contact the Third Battalion.

The Third Legion Commander walked a few steps toward the forest and muttered: "Lord Marshal is indeed very charismatic, even in such a remote place..."

When he was ordered to lead the legion into Gur City and consulted the Vice City Lord about the surrounding situation, he had asked in confusion why the position of City Lord had remained vacant.

The Vice City Lord informed him that Marshal Zhang Mu had once served as the Lord of Gur City. After he left, no new appointment documents had ever come from the royal capital. No one dared to press the matter, so it was temporarily shelved, and it remained so to this day.

Later, the Vice City Lord also revealed with a mysterious look that Marshal Zhang Mu had a wife living in Gur.

At that time, the Third Legion Commander's expression was quite something. After snapping out of it, he mistakenly thought he had stumbled upon the Lord Marshal's secret extramarital affair and sternly warned the Vice City Lord: 'You said nothing, and I heard nothing!'

Afterward, the Third Legion Commander pretended not to know about it to avoid being 'silenced' by the Lord Marshal.

However, after careful consideration, he still dispatched a squad of Soldiers to set up defenses outside the City Lord's residence.

If magical beasts were to rush into Gur City in the future and this lady unfortunately perished in the beast tide, the Third Legion Commander believed his head would most likely be lost.

Even though he had a reason for exoneration—that he didn't know the Marshal's wife lived in Gur City—what if the Marshal was furious and took it out on him?

It was better to be cautious.

The Third Legion Commander figured that as long as the Marshal's wife stayed in the city and didn't wander around, even if Gur City was truly overrun by magical beasts, he could send her out of the city in advance.

Who knew that this lady... happened to have a restless personality.

The Third Legion Commander sighed: "If I can't persuade her to leave, then so be it, but she always loves running to the Silent Forest. Doesn't she know war could break out here at any time?"

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of hoofbeats approached and soon arrived before him.

"Mar— Madam Pavlina, good day."

The woman wearing light armor dismounted, her brown hair tied in a ponytail swinging over her shoulder and falling across her chest.

She said with a smile: "Good day, Lord Legion Commander."

"Uh, Madam Palina, your reason for coming to the Silent Forest is..." The Third Legion Commander asked about her intent, hoping to settle it quickly and send her back to the city.

"I came to find you."

"Ah? Me?"

"Yes." Palina took a few steps back, showing off her outfit. "Does this look like it matches what you said were Mr. Zhang Mu's preferences?"

So it was for this. If I had known, I wouldn't have run my mouth.

The Third Legion Commander deeply regretted what he had said three months ago.

At that time, Palina was confused as to why a squad of Soldiers had appeared near her residence. She found the captain to ask, but the captain shook his head, saying he wasn't sure either and was just ordered to protect her safety.

Palina was persistent about the reason, stating that if it wasn't explained clearly, they should please leave.

The news was reported up the chain of command to the Third Legion Commander.

Learning that Palina wanted to drive the Soldiers away, the Third Legion Commander dropped his half-eaten lunch and rushed to see her, giving a general explanation of the situation.

After understanding the situation, Palina didn't care about the possibility of war in Gur City or that she might be affected; she kept asking the Third Legion Commander how Zhang Mu's life had been lately.

The Third Legion Commander didn't say much, only mentioning, "The Lord Marshal is doing well."

As he prepared to leave, Palina suddenly asked what kind of women Zhang Mu liked.

The Third Legion Commander thought about it and, feeling that the Lord Marshal certainly wouldn't like the 'soft and delicate' type, answered, "Valiant women."

Palina had an epiphany, stopped paying attention to him, and ran back to her manor with her ponytail swinging.

The Third Legion Commander looked at her bright silver light armor, and his mouth couldn't help but twitch. This Marshal's wife's understanding of 'valiant' seemed to differ slightly from that of a normal person.

He certainly couldn't voice his internal complaints; for one, he didn't dare offend the Marshal's wife, and two, he now only hoped Palina would return to the city immediately and stop staying at the edge of the forest where an attack could happen at any time.

"It matches perfectly!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you, Lord Legion Commander. Goodbye."

After expressing her gratitude, Palina mounted her horse and whipped it, turning to gallop back toward Gur City. An excited flush appeared on her face, delighted that three months of hard work had finally paid off.

Palina was not a Professional, and her body was no stronger than that of an ordinary girl. Carrying a bucket of water was a struggle for her, let alone walking in dozens of pounds of light armor; she would likely have been pinned to the ground, unable to move.

After ordering her servants to buy the light armor, she spent all her time outside of eating and sleeping on running, weightlifting, and other exercises to strengthen her physique.

A perfectly gentle young woman had somehow turned into a fitness expert, as if she were about to compete in a world-class sporting event.

After three months of such hard work, her physical fitness had finally reached the point where she could move freely in light armor for a few minutes.

This level was certainly not enough.

Palina thought, could it be that when she met Zhang Mu, she would have to sit by the roadside and rest for half a day after walking for only a few minutes?

She had to step up her training. Yes, she would reduce her sleep by another two hours and allocate it to running!

Palina raised her whip and lashed the horse's rump hard.

The horse felt the pain and strained its limbs, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it.

The Third Legion Commander watched the figure on horseback disappear behind the horizon, then waved his hand to order the Third Battalion back to their positions while he continued to observe the Silent Forest.

However, just as he raised his binoculars, his adjutant ran over: "A call from Lord Domit!"

Before the Third Legion Commander could even turn his body, his hand reached behind him and accurately grabbed the Magic-guided long-range walkie-talkie from the adjutant's hand, pressing it to his ear.

"Lord Domit!" Although Domit was not in front of him, he still stood in a military posture with his back straight while speaking on the walkie-talkie.

"Has there been any change in the current situation of the Silent Forest?"

"Reporting!"

"Aside from the transparency deepening, there are no other abnormalities!"

"What about Kingdom's army?"

"Based on the aerial images from the drones, it is inferred that Kingdom continues to send more legions to the border, with the number around three hundred thousand!"

"Three hundred thousand?" Domit's voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie sounded puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How many Professionals?"

"They account for thirty percent of the total force."

"One hundred thousand, then... Is there any information on their Professional levels?"

"This, we don't have for the time being."

"Mm, I understand. Reinforcements will arrive in three days. Prepare the camp in advance. As for the scale, build it according to the number of Soldiers in five legions."

"Yes!"

The Third Legion Commander hung up the call and pumped his fist hard: "Great! Now we don't have to worry about the magical beasts rushing over!"

The adjutant also looked excited: "Sir, do you think that mysterious unit will also go to war with the army?"

"Hmm?"

"It's said that no one from either side has ever seen their true appearance. I'm a bit curious."

"What? Did you forget the regulations in the recruit manual as soon as you were promoted to adjutant?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

"Stop the nonsense and take the Soldiers to build the camp immediately."

"Understood!" The adjutant took his orders and left.

The Third Legion Commander turned his head, looking at the magical beasts wandering in the mountain forest: "Kingdom... you'd better behave, or I'll blow your balls off with one shot!"

The speed at which the Silent Forest became illusory far exceeded everyone's predictions.

At noon on the second day of the Third Legion's construction work, the Silent Forest suddenly vanished completely, like a bubble rising from a Lake and popping, or like pencil strokes erased by an eraser, as if it had never existed in this world.

The Third Legion Commander was shocked and ordered the Soldiers pitching tents to stop work immediately and return to their positions to guard against any sudden situations.

However, the magical beasts that had lost their habitat did not run around in panic. After being stunned in place for a few seconds, they actually began to slaughter each other.

This was true for both low-level and high-level magical beasts, and soon the smell of blood wafted toward the positions along with the air.

The Third Legion Commander was baffled, wondering what these magical beasts were going crazy for. He ordered Soldiers to conduct close-range reconnaissance while also launching several drones for aerial photography to see if the magical beasts were playing tricks.

Low-level magical beasts acting on instinct couldn't pull off any schemes, but the intelligence of high-level magical beasts was not low. Everything had to be done with caution.

After a while, news came back.

The magical beasts were indeed fighting for their lives to the point where one side must die. Furthermore, Kingdom also seemed equally surprised by this anomaly and sent a large number of Soldiers close to the magical beasts' battlefield.

The Silent Forest stretched along the border of the two countries, with tens of thousands of magical beasts of all levels scattered within. The decisive battle they broke out into lasted for quite a long time.

The sun set and rose from the east, then set again, until the morning of the third day.

The horizon had just begun to brighten.

The Third Legion Commander unscrewed his canteen, poured water into his palm, and splashed it on his face. A chill instantly spread through his body, and the sleepiness from staying up for two days briefly receded.

He looked left and right along the trench. Midway through, he realized the magical beasts' battle wouldn't end anytime soon and ordered the Soldiers to rest in shifts. The Soldiers, having received sufficient sleep, were still quite energetic now.

Some Professional Soldiers didn't feel sleepy after not sleeping for a few days and took the initiative to request to be on duty around the clock.

His gaze once again turned toward the front, where the roars were deafening.

After the entire mountain of the Silent Forest disappeared, it left behind a vast open space where the slaughter among the magical beasts had still not concluded.

Spitting, the Third Legion Commander cursed: "Damn it, don't they get tired?!"

The adjutant beside him laughed: "Sir, there aren't many low-level magical beasts left. Those still fighting are all high-level magical beasts. Look, the two diving into the clouds and then rushing out—they are Saint-level Magical Beasts."

The Third Legion Commander looked at him in confusion: "You're not a Professional, so how do you know so much about magical beast levels?"

"Hahaha..." The adjutant laughed toward the sky a few times, "I'm just guessing."

"Get lost."

"Sir, I'm not just making wild guesses." The adjutant was clearly not convinced and pointed at the battlefield, saying, "Look, the low-level magical beasts are biting on the ground, the high-level ones are fighting in mid-air, and the ones even higher up, aren't those exactly Saint-level... A call from Lord Domit!"

The adjutant handed over the connected walkie-talkie. The Third Legion Commander quickly took it and pressed it to his ear. Just as he was about to report the current situation, he heard Domit's voice speak first.

"I've arrived."