Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Somewhat awkwardly, despite their battle cries, the members of the Gaoshu tribe dared not rush too far forward, especially not too close to Zhang Renfeng's armor. His large helmet already limited his vision, and he was using area-of-effect weapons. Getting too close risked being caught in the iron sand blast.

The scene was bizarre: a nearly three-meter-tall metal can, its surface stained with blood, wielding two large guns, exuding an aura of intimidation and oppression of 99%, was rampaging through the crowd, becoming a one-man army.

Wherever he charged, the soldiers scattered like startled ducks. Zhang Renfeng showed no hesitation, breaking up the ranks before continuing his swift advance. The rescuers from Gao Shu's camp followed closely behind, rounding up and eliminating the scattered soldiers one by one.

The process was so seamlessly coordinated that it could no longer be called war; it was more like an efficient hunt for a group of prey that had come to their doorstep.

until……

----

"Boom--!"

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard.

As Zhang Renfeng was running, he kicked a protruding rock, shattering it instantly. He lost control of his momentum, and the armor crashed heavily to the ground, along with the two large spears he was holding, which also fell to the ground.

However, the army had already lost all morale, and even in this situation, no one shot him to finish him off; everyone was only concerned with escaping. Some even thought that the loud noise meant that some weapon had been activated again, and they were so terrified that they ran even faster.

"..."

Only Coulson turned his head and saw this scene through the crowd.

Chapter 693: Dude, you started first.

pat!

The sound of the dice hitting the table sounded to Jaworth like thunder exploding in his ears, unbearably loud.

Within minutes, several bottles of liquor appeared on his table, and he began drinking and rolling dice. Entertainment in the military was rather limited; ordinary soldiers liked to play cards to pass the time, but among the officers, dice games were popular. For some reason, it sounded more sophisticated than playing cards.

In a semi-drunk state, he had already rolled the dice several times, each time only getting a single point.

"Is this... a cryptic message from God...?"

It wasn't even that hot, yet his forehead was covered in sweat, and cold sweat kept pouring down his face.

Normally, Jarvis wouldn't be so devout to God, but clearly, at this moment, he had reached a point where he felt utterly helpless. Every little thing he heard was interpreted as a divine message, and he sought solace in these revelations: that everything would be alright.

In this way, he can continue to use alcohol to counteract the pressure that is about to break him.

Until the deafening shouts of battle transformed into waves, gradually drawing closer.

----

"I took stock, and my entire company was wiped out in that last charge. Only five or six men are still alive."

"They even split the company up... Ha, the teammates next to them, I can't even remember their names, let alone coordinate with them. They just rushed forward like that, frankly, it was just throwing lives away. Thanks to your judgment, those unlucky guys at the front didn't even have a chance to react, they were riddled with bullets!"

"You are responsible for how the war has turned out! You are 100% responsible! The families of these soldiers will not let this go easily once they find out what happened tonight. You'd better pray that the military court's verdict puts you in jail, otherwise, you'll be in big trouble if you fall into their hands!"

……

In the military camp, Jaworth's expression was numb, his eyes were empty, and he couldn't say anything.

The formation had been scattered, and the bold words spoken before the battle seemed still vivid in his mind. But now, the brutality of the war far exceeded his expectations. Many officers were left forever in the forest, not to mention the ordinary soldiers.

The second blow was far more devastating than the first, as it represented suppression on a firepower level. Morale was utterly shattered; no one genuinely believed that continuing the fight would make them the winner, and a major collapse became inevitable.

Upon closer examination, the accusations made by these officers actually lack any real merit.

This battle was indeed lost, but it would have been the same no matter who was in charge.

Whether or not it will be brought to a military court will be decided after the war ends. But for now, it's not over yet.

Coulson's tone was as cold and resolute as ever: "The enemy is indeed powerful, but not invincible. We still have a sliver of hope; we just need to devise a battle plan."

"The rest of you must hold the line. Every minute, every second counts. No retreat is allowed!"

"As long as we hold on, there is a way."

He made his assurances again, but this time, trust had been completely exhausted, and Colonel Jaworth made no statement.

No one believes him anymore.

"Come on, I see now... there's something wrong with your head." The bearded officer tapped his temple with his finger, looking disgusted. "You really think you're some big shot? Let me tell you, when it really comes to this, even if you're a captain, or even a general, so what? You'll still get shot! You have a supervisory team, but are the guns in the soldiers' hands just for show? If pushed too far, they might even mutiny."

"I don't want to be killed by my own men at my age. You two young masters, if you want to play, then keep playing here."

"My men are leaving."

"Me too."

"Same."

……

Currently, the highest-ranking officer is still Colonel Jarworth.

But as that officer just said, this system of trust is nearing bankruptcy. When all the officers are unanimously no longer obeying his orders, the rank becomes meaningless. Jarvis remains numb; as the commander-in-chief of this battle, he can't offer any guarantees that the situation will improve, and can only watch them rise and leave one by one.

However, Coulson, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward, opened a drawer, and took out a navy revolver that was lying inside.

Click.

The sound of the hammer being pressed.

Jaworth snapped out of his daze and shouted, "What are you doing...?"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

……

With a blank expression, he fired several shots, the bullets hitting the back of his head and splattering blood in the air.

Jarvis gasped, feeling his breath catch in his throat and his head spin. He felt as if he were strapped to a speeding train, the engine out of control, veering off the tracks, everything beyond his control. He didn't know where the train was headed, only that, no matter what, the life he knew was gone forever.

"Just as they said, even after the war ends, I will still face a military court. At this point, killing a few more people doesn't matter."

"The key is to never let their people leave. With these people acting as human shields, we can buy them a few more minutes."

Coulson, expressionless, placed the revolver on the table with a loud thud, causing the dice to fall to the ground.

Another point.

“A meat shield…” Coulson murmured.

"Colonel, it seems we've reached a point of no return," Coulson said in a deep voice. "Where is that medicine?"

"Are you sure?" Jaworth's expression was very hesitant. "It hasn't even passed formal human trials yet. Using it on people like this... wouldn't that..."

“I’m not sure, but right now, there’s no other way. This is our last hope.” Coulson’s tone was very firm. “Now that we’ve killed people and the enemy is right in front of us, this is the only path we have left.”

“But…but…” Javos finally voiced his deepest concern, “Once this ‘drug’ is ‘planted’ in the body, without external assistance, the survival rate is very low, only about 3%. What does that mean? Out of a hundred people, only 3 will survive. Even if they survive, it’s hard to say whether their condition will stabilize.”

"Where are we going to find soldiers willing to accept it?"

……

Colson stared at him with a strange look in his eyes.

"Do you know how many wounded soldiers are piled up outside?"

"The doctors are already overwhelmed. Under the current conditions, the vast majority of wounded soldiers cannot be cured. They are already on the verge of death. If they can survive this 3% hurdle, their limbs can be remodeled and regenerated. If they don't survive... at least they won't lose anything."

"I believe that if they were sober, they would all be willing to accept this opportunity."

Chapter 694: Are there still humans on this battlefield?!

"Wait, wait!" The soldier lying on the ground staggered back, his face contorted with terror, and stretched out a hand, shouting, "Don't kill me, I surrender!"

"..." Flying Eagle was indeed briefly surprised.

"boom!"

Not far away, Mike raised his hand and fired a shot, sending the fallen soldier to his death.

Is this your first time fighting a war?

“…I suppose so.” Flying Eagle’s expression was somewhat complicated. “There have been a few times before, but they were all small-scale, unlike this time which was so…intense.”

Looking around, the main force of the army had been broken through and routed. The remaining small fry had no will to resist and were wiped out in no time. Although gunfire could still be heard, the atmosphere on the battlefield was closer to "cleaning up the remaining enemies." Any remaining enemy that peeked out was fired a few more shots, and the tense atmosphere of life and death on the battlefield was greatly reduced.

Of course, this only applies to Takagi's side.

The scene here is hardly comfortable. Flying Eagle, who lives in a paradise, is experiencing the cruelty of war for the first time, and his feelings are complicated, which Mike can understand.

“In your situation, I do not recommend keeping prisoners.”

Mike spoke calmly, as if he were stating a matter of course: "One more person means one more mouth to feed. Your camp's output is enough to feed your own people. There's no extra food to give to the enemy."

"Besides..."

He kicked the corpse over, and only then did Eagle notice that there was a revolver on its lower back, and its left hand was positioned very close to the gun handle.

It might be a coincidence, or it might not; he couldn't be sure.

The only thing he could be sure of was that he was still alive, still able to breathe and think, even though these thoughts sent chills down his spine.

"On the battlefield, hesitation is a major taboo. Discard all unnecessary emotions. I told those two girls the same thing: believe that your first reaction is always right," Mike advised. "There is no room for trial and error on the battlefield. When you can't be 100% sure whether the other side is really going to surrender or just feigning surrender, simplify the problem."

Flying Eagle sighed, "You're right, thank you, thank you all."

Looking around, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and the aura of blood swirled in the air, lingering and unable to dissipate for a long time.

"Actually, all we want is peace, nothing more."

“Peace is very expensive.” Mike lit a cigarette to ease his somewhat numb nerves. “There is no peace if we can’t win.”

"But according to Zhang, there's a lot of valuable black water beneath this land of Gaoshu, right?" Flying Eagle couldn't understand the concept of "oil," but he deeply understood the principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

“These black waters will attract greedy people, who will launch attacks one after another. Even if you deal with this round, there will be another round, and the one after that... like an endless cycle.”

"One war is enough to overwhelm us. I don't dare to imagine what we would become if this continued."

"...You look quite confused."

“Of course.” Eagle’s tone was very anxious. Although the battle was about to be won, he didn’t smile at all. “The tribe’s daily production cannot stop for even a day, but we have been holding on for a long time. Everyone is preparing for war, which means that no one is hunting or gathering food.”

"We can barely hold on for a few days. But if this becomes the norm, everyone will be exhausted, and the very foundation of the tribe will crumble. In the end, we might not even need the enemy to lift a finger; our own people will just fall apart."

……

Flying Eagle's vision was indeed much farther than that of his peers. While the young people in the tribe were still cheering for the victory that was about to be won, he was thinking about things much further ahead.

Ultimately, an outdated production system cannot withstand the impact of prolonged warfare. Their social structure cannot support "soldiers," who are dedicated to combat and are not engaged in productive labor. In peacetime, each tribal soldier must be responsible for providing for the tribe's daily needs.

In other words, it is only through the division of labor—with some people raising horses, some hunting, some fishing, and some gathering wild fruits—that the ancient Gaoshu tribe can function properly.

But now, with everyone fighting, it means these tasks are left undone. Basic supplies are running low, and food and clothing will be severely compromised. Over time, discontent within the tribe will only grow stronger.

Jaworth's initial plan was essentially this: surround them on all sides, and drag it out without attacking. They had trains, and resources could be delivered one trainload at a time, but the Hightree tribe couldn't. If this dragged on, they would collapse on their own.

The addition of Zhang Renfeng and his group was a huge variable, directly overturning the previously established battlefield logic.

However, the backwardness of the Gaoshu tribe's trial production methods has not changed, and it remains a huge weakness.

As a next-generation leader, Eagle is constantly learning and summarizing in this war, and he has vaguely seen this shortcoming. But this is not something he can change, because he is also an integral part of this backward mode of production.

"if……"

"I mean, what if there were a force that, with absolute respect for Gaoshu's sovereignty, was willing to peacefully extract oil from this land, and to share a portion of the profits from the oil sales with you..."

Mike asked cautiously, "Would you agree?"

Flying Eagle looked somewhat surprised.

This is undoubtedly a question that requires careful consideration.

but……

----

"Thump—!!"

Before he could answer, a loud bang was heard, and a figure flew out from not far away, landing hard on his back next to the two of them.

Upon closer inspection, his face was covered in blood, and his entire abdomen had collapsed as if struck by a hammer. His eyes were glazed, and he appeared to be exhaling but not inhaling. His remaining eye was unfocused, and his lips trembled slightly, unable to utter a word.