Chapter 10 - Ten: The Performance Was a Flop

Millions fell silent in a moment, exchanging glances: What was this about, wasn’t it supposed to be a training exercise? [Wings of the General] was none other than Zhao Zhenhuai, though [Idol Actor] clearly wasn’t his adjutant. The adjutant himself was somewhat bewildered and hastily used the private messaging channel to ask Zhao Zhenhuai, "Colonel, how did an idiot suddenly show up?" For someone of Zhao Zhenhuai’s stature, who had seen all kinds of storms, he chuckled and said, "It doesn’t matter. This must be some small fry who saw an opportunity and wants to make a name for himself in one battle. You just wait a moment. Give me ten minutes to deal with him, and then we’ll continue." "Yes, Colonel!" With 4,500,000 people watching, Zhao Zhenhuai couldn’t possibly refuse. His jovial voice spread across the entire battlefield, "A nameless friend here wants to warm up with me. That’s fine." Above the sky, lightning text appeared once again: [Wings of the General] accepts [Idol Actor]’s challenge! The battle is about to begin. Will both commanders please enter the battlefield! Both commanders are now in place, selecting their forces... Surprisingly, [Idol Actor] chose stealth mode. The spectating gamers erupted in a clamor. Among the audience, at least thirty thousand were warriors secretly mobilized by the adjutant to "pump up the crowd" for the Colonel. The other players were one thing, but those warriors started shouting, "A clown who doesn’t know his own strength! Colonel, kick his ass hard!" "The Colonel said ten minutes, but I bet it won’t even be three minutes before that damn [Idol Actor] is finished." "That’s fine. Let’s treat it as the Colonel’s personal exhibition match, so we can witness what tactical overwhelming really looks like." Among the students, Zhao Junzhi had been sneering all along, and without her needing to say anything, the flunkies around her had begun to curse at [Idol Actor]. Chen Zili and a few others were completely baffled, but everyone just thought it was a minor incident that wouldn’t have any substantial impact. At most, Zhao Zhenhuai would take a few minutes to sort out [Idol Actor], and then this practical lesson... would be delayed. The game administrators were reflecting a little. As this was only Zhao Zhenhuai’s second public lesson, their experience was insufficient, and they hadn’t anticipated someone actually taking advantage of the game’s "challenge system" at this moment. Well, next time they should temporarily disable this function before the public class. The game provided a full range of forces for such duels, although each commander could only lead a maximum of thirty thousand men. Soon both sides made their selections. [Wings of the General] Zhao Zhenhuai appeared first, choosing only ten thousand troops. He was a famous general, and facing such an insignificant opponent, deploying a full force wouldn’t look good even in a total victory. Therefore, it was not only about winning completely but also about achieving victory with fewer troops against more. But then [Idol Actor] also made his appearance. To the astonishment of many, he too chose only ten thousand men! The crowd was in an uproar, shaking their heads in disbelief. [Idol Actor] couldn’t have known in advance that Zhao Zhenhuai would choose only ten thousand men. There was no convoluted story here about predicting an opponent’s prediction. It simply meant that this guy originally planned to use ten thousand men to fight Zhao Zhenhuai’s thirty thousand! "This isn’t overconfidence; this is seeking attention and providing everyone with a joke," they said. Zhao Zhenhuai was also surprised, but what happened next shocked him even more, as lightning text appeared once again in the sky: [Idol Actor] requests to dismiss seven thousand troops. The battle has begun. The request is denied! "This idiot..." many had already started cursing. [Idol Actor] wanted to face Zhao Zhenhuai’s ten thousand men with just three thousand! Zhao Zhenhuai’s sharp face darkened upon seeing that line of text. What was previously disdain had now turned into real anger. "Overestimating oneself!" He said, and while he had intended to fight casually, he was now ready to go all out, to beat this fool until he messed himself. In the sky, lightning flashed suddenly. Two large characters flickered into view: BATTLE START! Before Zhao Zhenhuai’s troops could mobilize, [Idol Actor] had already swiftly deployed three low-altitude units to start harassing, and a fast-moving armored unit of two thousand soldiers began flanking Zhao Zhenhuai’s rear. The 495A battlefield was a hilly terrain, meaning it was a "planetary surface battlefield" with no space forces involved in the fight. Thus, the low-altitude units were backpack-jet infantry, and the high-speed armored units were composed of light armored vehicles and Mecha warriors. When Zhao Zhenhuai saw those three low-altitude units rushing over at top speed with no clear target, merely to harass and cover for the high-speed armored unit, he couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, "Child’s play. How ridiculous." He had already concluded that this [Idol Actor] was just a conceited game player. A true battlefield commander would have a clear military objective for any military action. Their tactics wouldn’t have too many fancy tricks—on the contrary, those game players don’t understand what war truly is. They always delve into "creative" tactics and stratagems, just like this one. Zhao Zhenhuai responded steadily. He mobilized his troops to engage the three low-altitude units and, predicting [Idol Actor]’s next move, made preparations for what was to come. Indeed, seeing that the three low-altitude units had not disrupted Zhao Zhenhuai’s forces nor provided meaningful cover for the flanking unit, [Idol Actor] sent out four more units in one go. Among them, his only air force—fighters—began a sneak attack. The other three ground units started their assault under the cover of rapid artillery. "Headless flies," Zhao Zhenhuai scoffed. He had completely anticipated [Idol Actor]’s next move. His forces were swiftly redeployed, quickly blocking all the opponent’s units. With his command skill, he cleverly isolated [Idol Actor]’s various units, cut off their retreat, and prepared to annihilate them one by one. This was going to be a rapid and complete annihilation of the enemy. At this point in the battle, [Idol Actor] had already committed most of his troops, leaving only four hundred all-terrain combat units by his side. The name of this type of unit might sound impressive, but in reality, it consisted of infantrymen clad in all-environment suits and equipped with rudimentary exoskeletons. The all-environment suits could operate in land, water, and air environments but lacked defensive power, making them no match for individual Mecha. The exoskeletons provided some power but couldn’t compete with the speed of armored vehicles or jetpacks. And [Idol Actor]’s so-called trump card, the fast-moving armored unit circling to the rear, was firmly blocked and unable to exert any influence. [Idol Actor]’s units were divided, encircled, and thrown into a tough fight. In contrast, Zhao Zhenhuai demonstrated superior command skills, his troops maintaining a solid formation capable of supporting each other. Because of the high technology, the armies moved quickly. Only two minutes had passed since the battle began. The warriors who came to support laughed heartily, "What did I say? Didn’t even last three minutes, right?" At this moment, [Idol Actor] seemed to be making a desperate move, deploying his last four hundred all-terrain combat units. However, Zhao Zhenhuai still retained three hundred Mecha units as a reserve. Three hundred Mecha units, facing four hundred all-terrain combat units, held an overwhelming advantage. Zhao Zhenhuai raised an eyebrow. "Alright, let’s end it here. I have serious matters to attend to." The Mecha units turned into a tidal wave of steel, passing through their own lines to confront the four hundred all-terrain combat units. As soon as the two forces clashed, the all-terrain combat units were predictably defeated, with dozens killed instantly, and the survivors scattering in all directions. The Mecha units immediately dispersed to pursue them. The only advantage the all-terrain combat warriors had over the Mecha units was their agility. They hopped around the battlefield like fleas, dodging the pursuit. "HAHAHA..." Derisive laughter erupted from the onlookers. But at that moment, [Idol Actor]’s units, which had seemed to be fighting independently, suddenly launched a fierce attack. Disregarding losses and casualties, they not only pinned Zhao Zhenhuai’s troops in place but also filled the battlefield with a constant barrage of gunfire, severely impeding the Mecha units’ movement. The more agile all-terrain combat units overloaded their exoskeletons, briefly achieving speeds comparable to airborne units. They emerged like ants from every corner of the battlefield, converging and charging towards Zhao Zhenhuai’s command post! This turn of events caught everyone by surprise. Zhao Zhenhuai’s expression changed. The last of his reserves had already been deployed, leaving his protection weak. He immediately attempted to recall his troops but discovered that during the brief chaos, [Idol Actor]’s units had somehow entangled with his own. His forces were now unable to withdraw for a rescue in time! In high-tech warfare, a few seconds can decide the outcome of a battle! The remaining three hundred-plus all-terrain combat units surged into his command post like a flood. His guard platoon was instantly annihilated, and then a thunderous sound echoed in the sky as blinding lightning text appeared: [Wings of the General] is dead, battle determined as failure! [Idol Actor] wins!