Chapter 119: Impenetrable Encirclement

As the formidable Gobar Xiaofu army steadily advanced, Li Longfang said, “Captain, you should retreat quickly. I will stay behind with some men to cover our rear. We’ll catch up shortly.”

Zhang Desen immediately responded, “Fool, this is not the time for arguments. The enemy’s target isn’t us; we just happen to be surrounded. If anyone is to cover the rear, it’s that doomed group under Commander Dadu Kur. Our best move now is to hurry east before the path closes and rendezvous with Zhao Chengming and the others.”

Li Longfang paused, then said, “Sorry, I was confused…”

Zhang Desen added, “Enough talk. Fight while retreating. Hurry to join Zhao Chengming and the others. Now!”

“Yes, sir!”

Under the cover of night, Zhang Desen’s group employed sporadic single shots and aimed bursts, retreating while keeping the encircling forces of the Galactic Empire off balance. Yet, the Galactic Empire was relentless and dispatched a 5,000-strong force eastward in pursuit.

Fortunately, using night-vision equipment, Zhang Desen’s team observed that although Gobar Xiaofu’s troops were numerous, their uniforms were ragged and inconsistent, resembling beggars’ garb, with weapons of all sorts—some even wielding bows and arrows. Floating tanks were nearly absent, likely diverted to attack the Olmei Empire’s command post in Bulenai. This revealed that the newly formed Gobar Xiaofu army, despite its size, suffered from inadequate supplies and weaponry, resulting in average combat effectiveness. This eased Zhang Desen’s worries, as they could leverage their advantages to break through.

They quickened their pace.

In truth, the Galactic Empire’s main forces still retained heavy weaponry such as maglev tanks, but these had been redirected to the Uliyasutai region, home to the human Gondor tribe. Both the Olmei Empire and Galactic Empire planned to eliminate the Gondor tribe during this campaign to deprive the Gomar people from the Sirius system of their puppets on Earth.

Though the Gomar “Venomous Serpent” spacecraft had previously departed for the Gomar homeworld, a newly arrived Gomar warship named “Ice Cold” now actively joined the battle against the Galactic Empire and Olmei forces. This direct intervention enraged the Galactic Empire, which condemned the Gomars for illegal interference in Earth’s internal affairs. Consequently, the originally tentative assault on the human Gondor tribe escalated into a major campaign focus for the Galactic Empire.

Meanwhile, Zhao Chengming’s Special Operations Unit 2 and a thousand allied retainers captured a Galactic Empire scout and confiscated all his reconnaissance gear. After separating the scout from his equipment, they bound him, awaiting Zhang Desen’s return for interrogation.

Using electronic jammers, Zhao Chengming’s team blocked nearby communications and carefully examined the captured devices. They confirmed the distress signal had not been activated, but one tracking device could not be turned off because its power switch was integrated with the main unit. Shutting it down risked alerting the enemy that the scout had been captured, while tampering could trigger an alarm—posing a dilemma.

Zhao Chengming’s guard asked, “Squad Leader, what shall we do?”

After thought, Zhao replied, “Don’t worry. Turn off the signal jamming devices.”

The guard was startled, “Why?”

Though puzzled, all special ops members complied.

Zhao continued, “It’s simple. Disabling the jamming won’t alert the enemy; at worst, they’ll think the signal was lost by accident. When the captain returns, we might use it to gather valuable intelligence. Leaving it off too long could cause uncontrolled issues.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Zhao then ordered, “Enter full combat alert status.”

“Yes!”

At the Galactic Empire’s frontline command in Sharga, a guard rushed in to report to Commander Jilong Konde, “Sir, our rear reinforcement of 100,000 troops has arrived, with another 100,000 at Kobdo joining the encircling forces. Commander Li Geer personally reached Bulenai to oversee the capture of Dadu Kur. Following intelligence, Li Geer destroyed the ship Dadu Kur was to escape on before it left for Uliyasutai. Dadu Kur is now trapped like a frog in a well.”

Jilong Konde exclaimed, “Excellent! Contact Li Geer immediately. Inform him I will report his achievements to the Supreme Leader and urge him to capture the third most-wanted criminal for the nation. Also, notify all forces—I will personally command a northern advance. This time, I’ll orchestrate an ironclad encirclement to round up all the traitors of the Yuri Gotne group!”

“Yes, sir!”

Meanwhile, in the Olmei Empire’s new command post at Uliyasutai, a guard burst into Deputy Commander Kaba Duer’s office, shouting urgently, “Deputy Commander, bad news!”

Kaba Duer frowned, “What’s so bad? Why the alarm?”

The guard hurriedly explained, “The communications center is in chaos. The Supreme Leader has received the same report…”

“Get to the point!” Kaba Duer demanded.

“The Gobar Xiaofu faction’s puppet troops launched a surprise attack on Bulenai. Commander Kur has been killed. Bulenai is close to falling. We’re about to be encircled.”

Kaba Duer leapt up in shock, stammering, “W-what? Say that again. Is this true? Could it be a rumor?”

The guard insisted, “Absolutely. Gobar Xiaofu’s forces stormed Bulenai; Commander Kur is dead, and the city is nearly lost. We face encirclement.”

Kaba Duer was overwhelmed. After a moment, he ordered, “Summon all commanders still at the headquarters for an emergency meeting. Inform the Supreme Leader of the situation and request urgent reinforcements from the rear!”

“Yes, sir!”

East of Bulenai, after a time of retreat, Zhang Desen’s Special Operations Unit 1 finally linked up with Zhao Chengming’s support forces. The reunited allies embraced, relieved to have resolved a critical threat. The thousand retainers then began to hold off the 5,000-plus Galactic Empire pursuers.

Zhao Chengming reported to Zhang Desen, “Captain, we just captured an enemy scout.”

He immediately brought the Galactic Empire scout and his equipment forward.

Zhang Desen ordered the scout detained and began inspecting the gear. He asked, “Have you examined everything thoroughly?”

Zhao Chengming detailed all findings.

Hearing this, Zhang said, “Good. Set up a local defense immediately. The enemy won’t bring all their forces at once. I will use their equipment to gather intelligence as quickly as possible. To avoid revealing our position, once the data is collected, destroy their gear immediately. Then we’ll return to the Ring Mountain base. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

The team opened fire, fiercely repelling the Galactic Empire chase units. Zhang connected to the scout’s devices with a computer, rapidly extracting every piece of intelligence related to Gobar Xiaofu.

Meanwhile, at the Olmei Empire’s command center in Prairie City, Yuri Gotne reviewed the latest frontline report and summoned Sade Ouri.

“Ouri, I had hoped to let your brother gain experience in this battle so both of you could earn merit for the Empire. You understand that, right?”

Sade Ouri replied, “Yes, I do. I didn’t want to miss the chance for my brother’s growth, so I supported his deployment this time. I’m grateful to the Supreme Leader for nurturing both of us.”

Yuri Gotne continued, “However, it seems both of you will now be on the front lines…”

He handed Sade Ouri the latest report, saying, “See for yourself.”

Sade Ouri read it in disbelief, “This… this can’t be…”

Yuri waved him off, interrupting, “Soon, I’ll give you orders related to this situation. Once my secretary finishes recording, the command will be sent to the frontline. You’ll be tasked with executing it. Stay close and listen carefully.”

“Yes, sir!”

The secretary prepared to record as Yuri dictated the new orders:

“Deputy Commander Kaba Duer, in light of the sudden change, my suppression forces are in grave danger. Given the circumstances, the expeditionary army should return to base for rest and recovery before confronting the rebels again.

I hereby order Sade Ouri to lead the space warships, including the ‘Seaside,’ to rendezvous with you and all troops. The troops engaged in combat are the nation’s elite; it is imperative to bring them back intact.

Before the rescue ships arrive, you must destroy the enemy’s electromagnetic railguns posing the greatest threat to our vessels, rendering them completely inoperative.

You are authorized to use all weapons, including nuclear warheads, nuclear moles, and pulse bombs, to achieve this.

Remember, you are acting as the deputy supreme commander of my suppression army and bear full responsibility for their safe return to their families.”

After the secretary finished recording, he saluted Yuri and went to relay the orders. Sade Ouri also saluted and departed to carry out the mission.