83: Four-star General Aris awaits trial for defeat

Those who paid attention to where the Anti-War Army was developing new strongholds were not only the world's internet users, but also the intelligence department of the Pentagon.

However, just like the residents of Alice Springs, the intelligence department lost track of the Anti-War Army's movements after they stopped their live broadcasts.

“Satellites, quickly deploy satellites—”

Under satellite surveillance, the U.S. Military finally discovered that after leaving Alice Springs, the main force of the Anti-War Army made a slight detour to the west, entered the MacDonnell Ranges, and set up camp at the entrance of a mountain valley.

Could the Anti-War Army's new stronghold be that mountain range?

—

General Aris, a four-star admiral, arrived in the United States mainland by special plane.

He remained silent throughout the journey, his demeanor solemn.

With the South Australia conflict halted, his recall to the United States, in addition to routine reporting, would undoubtedly involve facing accountability from higher authorities.

In the Pentagon conference room, as expected, Secretary of Defense Sevitz, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Claire, and the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with other high-ranking military officials, were present and all looking at him.

Aris stood at the end, head bowed, not speaking.

“General Aris, please take a seat; we were just waiting for you.”

Only after Secretary Sevitz spoke did Aris take his seat, but he still remained silent.

Savitz cleared his throat and said, “Regarding this war that occurred in South Australia, after our discussions and consultation with President Qiao Laxi, we have decided—”

Aris immediately stated, “Minister, as the Commander-in-Chief of this joint military operation, I bear full responsibility for the outcome of this war. I am willing to accept all consequences, including facing a military tribunal.”

Savitz was momentarily stunned but then said, “General Aris, please don't overthink this.”

“After our review of the entire war, synthesizing intelligence from all aspects, and consulting with President Joe Rossi, we have decided to temporarily retain your position as Commander-in-Chief of the coalition forces.”

“Of course, if a new commander is appointed, your position as Commander-in-Chief might be demoted by one rank, becoming Deputy Commander. As you know, the agreement signed with the American military has somewhat damaged the prestige of the People's Army.”

Ah?

Aris was stunned.

He stared at Savitz and the others with an open mouth, disbelief and a touch of emotion on his face.

“You, you are not holding me accountable for the defeat?”

For most world observers, the U.S. Military's agreement to such terms was tantamount to surrender and defeat.

Yet, the Department of Defense was practically not holding him accountable?

Chairman Claire nodded, stating, “The Minister already said that before you returned for your debriefing, we had already comprehensively reviewed the entire war process.”

“We believe you were indeed careless and underestimated the enemy, but your military deployment from beginning to end had no major faults.”

“The sudden turn of events occurred on the night you decided to deploy thermobaric bombs and other ordnance into Darwin City. The American military's breakout operation was too successful.”

“The combat power displayed by the American military during their breakout, no matter who was there, would not have been able to withstand it.”

“As for Tindal Air Force Base, the collective hijacking of those B Series Bombers also happened very abruptly and unexpectedly, making it impossible to foresee.”

“You had a dereliction of duty, but primarily, the American military was simply too formidable.”

Hearing this, Aris was genuinely touched.

“Minister, gentlemen—”

Aris's throat choked up.

Secretary Sevitz: “Alright, Aris, we called you here mainly to discuss the war... This is the Anti-War Army's temporary encampment that we have located so far, the MacDonnell Ranges. What are your thoughts on this?”

Aris quickly scanned the intelligence document and then looked up, saying, “The Anti-War Army choosing not to encamp in Alice Springs is very smart.”

“Alice Springs is indeed the only developed region of significant scale in central Australia, but its defensibility is poor; it can easily be surrounded and wiped out, far inferior to Darwin City, which they abandoned.”

“However, if it's the adjacent MacDonnell Ranges, that's much better.”

“Stretching over six hundred kilometers, running east to west, with an average elevation of one thousand meters, multiple mountain ranges, and numerous canyon areas, it's suitable for defense and concealment.”

“However, developing that mountain range into a military stronghold is not something that can be done overnight.”

“Our ceasefire period is only three months. Within three months, it's hard to imagine how much they can develop a new stronghold.”

“Moreover, developing a mountainous area always requires engineering troops, professional personnel, and large quantities of construction materials. Although entering the mountain range is advantageous for self-preservation, it also means the Anti-War Army is virtually besieged.”

“I can't figure out how they will break through our layers of external blockade in central Australia to acquire the talent, equipment, and resources needed to develop the mountain range.”

Savitz, Claire, and the others exchanged glances and nodded.

Clearly, they had discussed these issues before Aris and had reached similar conclusions.

Savitz: “Alright, regarding the Anti-War Army, continue reconnaissance... Meeting adjourned.”

People began to leave, but Savitz specifically asked Aris to stay.

Aris felt uneasy.

Because ultimately, only he, Secretary Sevitz, and Chairman Claire remained in the conference room.

It seemed that accountability was unavoidable after all; perhaps the Minister simply wanted to spare his feelings and not reprimand him in public.

However, Aris was mistaken again.

When the conference room door closed, Savitz asked Claire to display a short and blurry video on the multimedia screen, then said to Aris, “General Aris, tell us honestly, on that night, the reason the coalition forces were successfully broken through and Tindal Air Force Base was smoothly occupied, was it all thanks to this... 'thing'?”

Aris looked over and immediately understood what was happening.

It was a short video recorded by a U.S. Military officer before he died in battle during the Anti-War Army's breakout that night.

In the video, a tall, burning humanoid creature emerged from the flames, raised its gun, and fired, then the screen cut out.

The reason it was called a “humanoid creature” was because, although it was humanoid, it walked through flames without suffering any adverse effects from the intense heat. Could that truly be a human?

Aris had seen this video before, and watching it again still brought him great shock.

A flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

If it hadn't been for his order that night to the long-range artillery units to continuously shell and blockade the city's exits, even though the troops inside hadn't fully evacuated, allowing those terrifying things to break out, his life as the Commander-in-Chief in the base headquarters would have been uncertain.

Claire: “So, General Aris, what exactly was that thing?”

“Do you have any ideas?”