Chapter 279: Dense Forest Borderland

Bai Liu subconsciously wanted to push Spades away, but the moment he caught a glimpse of Guy, who was smiling and watching the show, and Alex, who was embarrassed to turn his face away, he immediately came to his senses.

As if he were shy, he lowered his head downward, not past Spades' lips, and buried his head against Spades' collarbone in Spades' arms.

Bai Liu's breathing was slightly rapid, his fingers curled into fists, he pursed his lips twice more, and when he opened his mouth his voice was already calm.

"...... Next time before you do something like this, talk to me first."

Spades' hands on Bai Liu's shoulders folded, and he gave a very soft hmmm, and then, as if realizing Bai Liu's mood, he said, as an afterthought, "Shouldn't I ask you first this time, too?"

"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely, "Are you going to be mad?"

Bai Liu bursts out laughing, looking up at Spades with a look that makes Spades pause.

The heat is dense in the dark eyes, and bright and bright and can not be seen, the eyes clearly hide a vague himself, but also seems to hide a Bai Liu is missing the person.

Bai Liu put his head against Spades' heart, he could still smell the blood that lingered here.

He just emptied two magazines on Spades and ripped his heart out.

The upwelling of emotions slowly fell back down.

Bai Liu closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, he still had that loose smile on his face, "You haven't changed, apologize for what you did first."

The word Sheta says most when she stays with him is sorry.

The man has an inexplicable desire to survive, and every time he senses the precursor to Bai Liu's rising anger level and apologizes in time--

--and then dare next time.

"I'll let it go this time." Bai Liu rises from Spades' arms, nodding a small greeting to Guy and Alex, glancing lightly at Spades next to him with a friendly smile, "But I hope there isn't a next time."

Spades: "......"

It always feels like I'm doing it wrong again.

The two men followed Guy towards the rear base camp and had to take a train ride in the process.

But it was a very strange section of railroad, only a few dozen miles long, and only to travel between the front lines and the towns in the rear.

Sitting in the carriage, Guy explained to Bai Liu and the others helplessly, "It's strange, isn't it? It's rare to build a railroad like this, but since this war has been going on for a year and a half and has been stuck in this position unable to advance, then in order to facilitate the transportation of soldiers and supplies such a strange railroad was built."

Bai Liu's eyes retracted from the dense jungle outside the car window - building such a railroad in such a humid area is not an easy task.

The fact that it took so much effort to build such a line only shows that the commanders of this campaign were not aiming for anything small.

Bai Liu looks at Guy: "Why are you stuck here for a year and a half?"

Guy let out a long, long sigh, "Because there's a very important strategic location twenty or so kilometers ahead - the Pluto Lakes."

Bai Liu raises an eyebrow, "Pluto, the king of the underworld in Roman mythology? Why is this lake called that?"

Guy explains, "This place receives a lot of rainfall in the summer, and at its peak it can average tens of thousands of millimeters per year."

"During the summer months, this lake, which is at the lowest point of the entire area's terrain, rapidly rises in water due to the large amount of precipitation, inducing flash floods and drowning many of the residents who live in the neighborhood every year, which is why the people here call this lake [the death of the summer fury], and named it Pluto."

"Not only that." Alex added with a serious look on his face, "Once the waters of Pluto rise, its lake overflows and automatically fills many of the surrounding rivers and canals, automatically forming a network of interlocking rivers centered on Pluto in this dense rainforest."

Guy took a deep breath, "In a rainforest like this where it's hard to build transportation corridors, the rivers are natural railroads, and once whoever occupies Pluto before the rainy season is able to use the rivers and boats to move supplies, weapons and soldiers in large quantities all around the area, taking a strong war advantage."

Bai Liu understood: "That is to say, whoever occupies Pluto before the rainy season is likely to win the war."

"But if that's the case, you've been here for a year and a half, and you've been through at least two rainy seasons." Bai Liu inquired thoughtfully, "And you didn't split those two rainy seasons?"

Guy shook his head bitterly, "We were the ones who occupied Pluto the year before last, but there wasn't much precipitation during that rainy season, and the rivers formed a fairly narrow range for transportation."

"We lost the battlefield advantage during that rainy season and allowed the opposite side to take over Pluto, and just in case, our side expanded the draft that year."

Guy looked over at Alex with a complicated gaze, "...... That's when Alex came to the front."

Alex nodded his head, he looked grim, "Last year's rainy season was the enemy's occupation of Pluto and with significant precipitation ...... Their battlefield dominance has continued into this year, we're losing ground and just stubbornly resisting, every day we receive more corpses on the battlefield than the day before ......"

"The higher-ups keep increasing recruitment again to fill the front line, so that we absolutely cannot lose and must win ......"

Guy patted Alex on the shoulder and sighed, "How is it not our turn to dominate this kind of thing?"

He laughed in a bitter-sweet way, "On the battlefield, the only thing we can do is die."

Alex hung his head, his voice low, "I sometimes think that if only our losing would make the war end ......"

Guy looked puzzled, he looked around and helplessly knocked Alex's head, "Don't say such things on the train, you'll be disciplined if you're overheard."

Alex, still with his head down, his fists on his knees clenched tightly, didn't say a word.

Guy hugged him hard on the shoulder and rested his chin against Alex's head, his tone soft and gentle, "It's okay, the war must be over after this rainy season."

Alex clasped Guy's hand silently.

"The war must be over after this rainy season, why do you say that?" Bai Liu looks up at Guy.

Guy was quiet for a moment, "You'll understand when you get to the enlistment point."

With those words, Guy looked out at the train, his grip on Alex tightening, his eyes reflecting the shifting greenery and the battle.

"...... There's a proverb where I come from that says that the time a lover spends together is more precious than gold." Guy mumbles.

He smiled and turned his head to Bai Liu and Spades, his eyes faded from the battle and the green, only an old photographic moving damp light, and the smile on his face had a happiness that he couldn't hide with envy and pride.

Guy laughed heartily, "Then when the four of us stay together, won't we be the richest people in the world?"

Jumping off the train, Bai Liu's group saw the crowded enlistment site from afar.

Some people were standing on tables holding loud speakers and shouting angrily, others were holding up recruiting posters and shouting them around, and still others were lying on the floor with dirty ballpoint pens they had picked up from nowhere and were filling out enrollment forms that had been stomped on.

The whole scene was a mess.

"Looks like there are quite a few recruits reporting for duty today." Guy tsked twice, "It's not easy to get two enrollment forms in a scene like this."

"Time for us to do our part as hosts." Guy took an unresponsive Alex by the hand, whistled a delightful tune, and rushed into the crowd, "Let me get your signup sheets!"

Ten minutes later, Alex, his face contorted from being squeezed, sits on the floor staring blankly, gasping for breath, and Guy waves the enrollment form excitedly at Bai Liu and the others, "I got it!"

Guy pulled two pens out of his pocket and placed the enrollment forms in front of Bai Liu and Spades, guiding them through the enrollment process with a smile on his face.

Bai Liu just got the enrollment form and noticed something wrong with it - there was a place where the option had been pre-crossed.

It's pretty obvious who hit this fork.

Bai Liu looked to Guy, who tapped the fork with his pen, "What's this one? Can't I choose?"

Guy The smile on his face faded a bit, "This ah...... option is whether or not you'd like to join the commando team."

"Commando?" Alex's puzzled voice came from behind Guy, "Have there been any raids organized lately? Why wasn't I informed?"

The man on the desktop holding a loud speaker abruptly raised his voice: "Gentlemen, our general has assembled thousands of heavy guns to pull into this town, and will be dispatching them to the front lines in a steady stream today."

The man was emotionally charged, waving his arms spitefully:

"I believe all of us know that if we lose this rainy season, we will be buried in the hands of Pluto, the Grim Reaper! The heavy rains of the past two days have signaled that the enemy is likely to have a huge advantage this rainy season."

The originally noisy crowd below quieted down, and everyone turned back to look at the man standing on the table.

He continued sadly, "Are we to lose this war of honor, and give up the free land that belongs to us to the unashamed and unsatisfied slaves on the other side of the lake?!"

"Haven't we given them enough rights?!"

"Employing them from poor and backward areas, paying them by the day, and providing them with three meals, and they actually demand that they own property, that they exchange their labor for land, and that they become upper class people like us!"

"This group of people who depend on us for their livelihoods have the audacity to say that these lands, which have grown rich only thanks to us, were originally theirs and that we should give them back!"

"Shameless!!!" The man snapped and shouted, his face full of anger, "If they really want to have a backbone, how come they didn't open their mouths to kick us out when we first started helping them develop?"

"After we have signed the agreement, owned the lands after getting their consent, and made these lands incredibly rich, these greedy guys are going to kick us people out under the banner of ownership!"

Guy whispers to Bai Liu, "This rainforest has a lot of timber, minerals, and water resources, but the people who live there are very poor, so the officials who found the land signed an agreement with the people to give them jobs, property, and enough to eat every day for the next hundred years to gain permanent ownership of the land. "

Bai Liu paused delicately.

He thought he was doing things black enough, but he didn't think there was anything blacker - taking land that people already had in exchange for even cheaper labor.

It's not a one-book deal anymore, it's a no-book deal.

Guy sighs, "As you can see, it's a blank check, but the natives didn't realize it at first, and they really don't even have enough to eat, so they all agreed."

"They built a large number of factories here and gained a great deal of wealth from the land and this labor force, but the factories paid the inhabitants lower and lower wages and worked longer and longer hours, and they took these inhabitants less and less seriously, and even trampled on and abused and molested and flirted with these inhabitants as slaves, and quarrels broke out."

"During the quarrel, one of the natives killed a factory manager, and the friends and relatives of the factory manager, in order to vent their anger, they imprisoned all those natives who had taken part in the quarrel in a deserted factory and burned them in a fire."

Guy was silent for a long time, "A week later, war broke out."

"At that time nobody thought that it would be possible to fight for so long - these indigenous people knew the terrain very well and a lot of international stakeholders were assisting them, saying that it was a real war of liberation and freedom, and a lot of volunteers from other countries were joining them. "

Guy smiled forlornly, "Hey, in case you don't believe me, I was going to be one of their volunteers, but my family jumped the gun and put me in before I signed up."

Bai Liu's eyes rested on the man who was still standing on the tabletop impassioned to explain, "There's another version of this story, isn't there? The cause of the war I saw in the recruitment ads wasn't like this either."

"Yes." Guy looked at Bai Liu appreciatively, "The official version used for propaganda in this country is that they selflessly helped the inhabitants of this place to get out of poverty and gain civilization, democracy, and freedom, but they were the first to be attacked by this insatiable group of backward natives, and killed a factory manager who had selflessly helped them in an argument."

Guy looked at the recruiting ad posters scattered all over the ground and exhaled, "You know what the most complicated situation is like? This draft ad isn't telling lies, that plant manager is indeed innocent."

"That was a very good man." Guy Eyes with nostalgia, "Although he was of noble birth, after coming here to see these situations, he wanted from the bottom of his heart to help these people establish their own factories and get out of the hands of those so-called [superior people]."

"He mingled with these natives, poured his family into helping them, and didn't stop even when he was opposed by his family and friends."

"But some of the natives did not believe him, and felt very overmuch that he was acting in such a hypocritical manner in order to oppress them still further, and so, in the midst of a dispute, the man was shot dead by a native who had always held a grudge and suspicion against him."

"The country made a big deal out of it, and a lot of people came to this battlefield for him - they were angry and outraged and felt that such a good man didn't deserve to die like that, including Alex."

"Their hearts are good, they're just a little naive, they think they've come here just for an apology, but war is far more brutal than they think."

Guy, there's a moment of silence here.

Bai Liu looked at him, "This factory manager, you know him, right?"

"I could tell you, but it's our little secret, you can't let Alex know, he'll get jealous." Guy blinked one eye and smiled, but there was a layer of sadness on his face that the smile couldn't hide, "He was my first love."

"I've been lucky, haven't I, both boyfriends have been so great."

The desktop shouted loudly, overpowering Guy's voice: "In order to put an end to this war, which has lasted for a year and a half, and to sanction those greedy and lowly enemy forces before the rainy season is in full swing, two days later we organized a raid, for which we drew from the best quality of our veterans and assembled a team of elite raiders."

"They will undertake the most dangerous assault charge after the shelling in two days' time, and here's a cheer for the brave soldiers in these assault parties!"

He produced a long list of names, and with each name read a soldier mounted the high platform surrounded by cheers.

Guy looked at the list and waited quietly.

Alex seemed to realize what was going on as he turned his head incredulously to Guy, then jerked his head back, almost looking at the list with a gaze that would burn through it.

"Guy Davis!"

Alex subconsciously grabbed Guy's arm in a death grip, he looked at Guy with red eyes, his throat was dry and he couldn't say a word.

Guy smiles and breaks his hand one finger at a time, whispering softly into Alex's ear [The war will be over soon, baby], and then to deafening screams and whistles, Guy makes his way through the bustling crowd onto the Commando's raised platform.

Alex doesn't think twice about chasing after Guy, but the cheering crowd gets in the way, making it difficult for him to move an inch.

The tabletop applauded while saying enthusiastically, "Next, let's welcome the General's recognition of this group of brave men!"

A middle-aged man wearing a more polished stand-up collar-style military uniform with a majestic appearance clapped his hands while smiling amiably as he walked onto the high platform.

He commended the soldiers one by one - hanging a medal worth less than five cents around the necks of the men who were about to die for him.

After hanging up, the manly general turned his head and said in a hushed voice, "Please keep their faces in mind, if they die, they died for the most righteous thing in the world, and they are martyrs worthy of being honored by all mankind."

"This raid was initiated at my call, and I know it will have very painful consequences, but it is meant to punish the lowlifes hard ......"

Alex gritted his teeth at the heaving general, "He's launching this raid out of the blue for his military honor."

Bai Liu looks over and casts a questioning look.

Alex took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure as he explained to Bai Liu, "This general was a commoner by birth and only got into the military and political management by marrying the daughter of a high ranking official, and was always looked down upon by the upper class who fancied themselves as nobles, but sat on his position by constant war."

"But I think he's better at politics than war."

Alex looks up at Guy on the raised platform, his breathing ragged.

"Launching the raid at this point in time is just a way to report back and look good after the fight is lost, after all, you can still rely on the raid to cause enemy casualties before you lose, and you can also use the tragic sacrifices of these veterans to propagandize again to attract more angry people to enlist in the army."

Alex's eyes were red, "They've fooled a lot of people with tricks like that."

The general on the stage continued his speech:

"They are the Assault One team that undertakes the most important missions, and only the most elite soldiers are allowed to enter ......"

Someone below raised their hand and inquired, "Can't new recruits get in?"

The General smiled broadly, "I can't, but you deserve a commendation for your enthusiasm, you can go into Assault Teams 2 and 3 and be in charge of sweeps - it has to take a very high level of overall quality to get into Assault Team 1."

One man raised his arm, his voice small but smooth and penetrating, "I think I have the qualities."

All eyes focused.

The man was tall, even among the crowd of screened enlisted soldiers he was a head taller, and held up his hands quite conspicuously, especially the one in his hand that held a silver revolver that looked to be of great cost.

Tang Er fought helplessly holding up his hand, he had just received an order from this Bai Liu guy saying that he was required to join Assault Team 1 and had to risk it.

Bai Liu smiled at him from afar and raised his hand in a "Come on, I'm sure you can do it!" gesture. gesture.

Tang Er typed: "......"

This guy really is a bit of a looker and a punching bag.

The general seemed dissatisfied with having such a new recruit provoking himself, his voice and expression grimaced, "-War is not a shooting game for nobles, you must undergo extensive training to join the Assault One Team, at the very least, you have to master the skill of shooting with a high degree of accuracy."

He swept a slightly contemptuous and disgruntled glance at the silver revolver in Tang Er's striking hand - such a weapon would only be carried into battle by the idle and wealthy sons of the great families.

"You're holding such a gun ......" this general teased sarcastically as he demurely raised the medal in his hand, "I understand your desire for glory, lad, but I think you might be better suited to riding a mare and hitting a ten centimeter away from a stationary target ......"

Tang Er cocked his gun, flicked down the dark goggles he wore on his head, and then with a condensed gaze raised his hand and gave the General on stage a shot that split the medallion in his hand without missing a beat.

The general on the stage paused as if frozen in time, and he let his trembling hands slowly release the pierced medal after a long interval.

The medals hit the ground, and everyone around them looked around the stage in shock at the superbly skilled new recruit with the gun.

Tang Er hit gently put away his gun, "Am I eligible to join Assault One now?"

"Of course I do!" Guy on stage whistled coaxingly as he raised an eyebrow, swept Tang Er fight from top to bottom with glittering eyes, and laughed out loud, "Good lad, your body shines as brightly as your marksmanship!"

Tang Er hit a slightly befuddled stunned for a moment, then calmly said thank you, and heard a system prompt:

[System alert: Major plot npc Guy's favorability towards you has increased.]

[System alert: The main plot npc Alex's favorability towards you has dropped drastically, and you've been excluded from the main quest]

Tang Er hit: "????"

What happened? Why was he just excluded from the main mission?

Tang Er hit turned his head head in confusion to Bai Liu in the middle of the crowd and pointed at himself before shaking his head, indicating that he couldn't get into the main quest.

Bai Liu's eyes slowly move to Alex, who is staring expressionlessly at Tang Er's fight.

Careless.