With thirty exhausted guardsmen, five Panther cars, one captured Frankenstein tank, no air cover, and no idea whether reinforcements would arrive, they were supposed to escort three hundred civilians with their families through the ranks of a million sandfolk armed with guns, cannons, and fortifications, and get them into the city.
If they really pulled it off, it would be a glorious feat worthy of history and military textbooks. It might even be praised as an epic of civilization for thousands of years to come.
Tell me, what protagonist in a power fantasy wouldn't want to make a name for himself? Wouldn't it be great to become a hero remembered as a founding sage of civilization? So Yu Lian was tempted... as if!
He wasn't an idiot!
Yu Lian rolled his eyes, considering whether to use his psionic powers to turn the man in front of him into a living meatball and feed him to the space metamorphs. Just then, several people who had come with the councilor and were apparently representatives of public opinion began making a racket.
"That's right, that's right. We'll be safer inside the city."
"Now that there are soldiers here, they can protect us, right?"
"Exactly! We're almost at the city. Nobody can stand staying out here any longer!"
"You're a soldier, aren't you? At least say something! Isn't it your job to protect us?"
"We want safe housing, clean beds, doctors, and hot food!"
Should he turn you all into meatballs and feed you to the metamorphs? Yu Lian thought with a beaming smile.
Dr. Banks, behind him, looked mortified. He stepped forward to explain, but before he could say a word, the crowd descended on him. Ina was already beginning to look angry. The soldiers saw what was happening; some didn't know what to do, while others gathered around. Only then did the representatives quiet down a little.
The councilor glared at the "representatives" behind him. "What are you doing? What are you doing? Are you some kind of rabble? You're all prominent figures in New Jade Gate. Can't you show a little dignity?"
He must have had quite a bit of influence. Everyone reluctantly fell silent at once. Taking advantage of the moment, he grabbed Yu Lian's hand and said affably, "I understand. This sort of matter needs careful consideration, and this isn't the right place to talk. Please come with me. We can offer you some refreshments, too."
Yu Lian wanted to shake the man's hand off, but the suave councilor had a surprising amount of strength, and Yu Lian couldn't start a scuffle in front of everyone. That moment of hesitation was all it took for the man to pull him into the most luxurious motorhome in the convoy.
Yu Lian knew it was an 825-model Kodo Beast motorhome, made by the Alliance. Its living space was enormous, and it had every kind of household appliance. It carried enough supplies and energy for five or six people to live in comfort for two or three weeks. What's more, the top-of-the-line model could be fitted with military-grade armor, liquid-metal plating, shields, and nanorepair machines. It could take even more punishment than the Frankenstein tank they'd captured. It could spend a week or two driving through wind, fire, sandstorms, and even acid rain and still look pristine.
Standing before the vehicle, which was practically a mobile mansion, Yu Lian felt a measure of awe—at its price.
He knew it would take every soldier at Station 12 ten years of going without food or drink to scrape together enough to afford one of these beasts. Yet just a short distance away sat dozens of dusty passenger buses and cargo trucks, scattered haphazardly across the ground. Ordinary citizens, just as travel-worn, stood around them in muted windproof cloaks, looking dazed or numb, like a crowd of puppets.
They at least had some food to keep themselves going, but it was mostly long-stored convenience food, and there wasn't much of it.
They didn't dare light a fire, either. They could only huddle together around a few low-powered portable heaters. Their bodies shivered beneath their windproof cloaks. They looked no different from the scavengers and homeless people who haunted the shadows of great cities, never knowing whether they'd live to see another day.
Yu Lian had seen scenes like this many times in the future, among humans and other intelligent species alike.
In theory, galactic society had long since reached an age of explosive productivity and inexhaustible supplies, now that it could travel between stars. But that wasn't how things actually were. Was it because the technology tree had been developed in the wrong direction, or because the claim that "the relations of production are determined by the productive forces" wasn't absolutely true? Yu Lian wasn't sure.
He only knew that the powerful in every age had their own simple, unpretentious, and utterly boring pleasures, while the common people in every age endured similar hardships and suffering.
"See, Second Lieutenant? I haven't been deceiving you. We're short on food, warm clothing, and medicine. Everyone's at their limit. Before long, we won't even have canned food or black bread left. So I hope you can understand why everyone is so anxious." The councilor wore an expression of heartfelt compassion.
If he hadn't been saying this in a motorhome, basking in the natural warmth of simulated-ecosystem equipment, swirling a glass of Saintly Red wine in his hand, with exquisite pastries laid out on the crystal coffee table in front of him, Yu Lian might almost have believed him.
"Please excuse our poor hospitality. There's no need to be formal. You've just finished a battle yourself; you need to rest." The councilor was very warm—or, rather, too warm. He acted like a friendly, welcoming neighbor.
He poured Yu Lian a glass of red wine. "Second Lieutenant, I hear you're a student at Central Defense University. Is this your graduation practicum?"
"...That's right. I'll graduate next summer."
"Wonderful. I graduated from the civil engineering program at Wugang Military Academy, though I never had the chance to serve in the military. Later, I earned another degree at the Venice Business School. As you can see, we have similar backgrounds, so we have a good basis for discussion."
It took Yu Lian almost two seconds to understand what the man meant. Because he was a student at the Defense University, part of what the military called its "elite bureaucratic corps," he was qualified to speak to a councilor like this as an equal. If Yu Lian hadn't been leading the group, and it had been Lieutenant Monderson instead, the councilor would never have been so polite.
Well, it made sense. All kinds of hierarchies of contempt made up the class system, and society along with it. Contempt based on education was certainly part of that, and a fairly large part, too.
"We're the elites of society and the nation. From time to time, we have to shoulder greater responsibilities. You understand, don't you? Naturally, that includes certain things that might be misunderstood."
"Councilor... just tell me what you need me to do."
"Excellent. Straight to the point—that's how the elite of our military academies should behave." The man praised him.
Yu Lian thought that if he weren't supposedly a "Mooner," the councilor would probably have called him "a crude military brute, unfit for serious discussion."
"I understand your concerns, Second Lieutenant. With the small force you have, there's no way you can escort everyone into Tulong. The trucks and buses carrying those refugees couldn't even withstand a velociraptor's claws."
The councilor's words surprised Yu Lian. Seeing his expression, the man smiled. "Didn't I tell you? I studied at a military academy, too. I'm your senior, after all. I know the basics of military affairs. It's just that, from where I stand, there's no way to keep everyone rational."
Yu Lian swirled his wine and watched the man in silence. Whether they were pretending to be one of us or playing the victim, these people had always been good at it. Anyone who took them at their word was a fool.
"But you've seen my vehicle, haven't you? There are three or four shielded and armored motorhomes like this in the convoy, plus your Panther cars and tank. That should be enough to form a spearhead."
He had to admit the councilor had a point. The convoy had no more Kodo Beast 3s, monsters that could crush even the biggest velociraptors under their wheels, but it still had several high-end motorhomes with better armor than the Panther cars. After all, this was New Jade Gate. Anyone who dared to buy property here had to care about staying alive.
By armor alone, this was already a formidable armored assault force. Yu Lian still had one question, though. "...You're abandoning the trucks?"
"They'll only be a burden during a breakout. You should know that better than I do."
"There are at least a thousand people in the convoy. There's no way they'll all fit in those motorhomes, is there?"
"That's the part I said might be misunderstood. You're young, Second Lieutenant. You'll understand someday: no matter how hard you try, things don't always go your way, and life isn't always fair. But we can't let the pursuit of this elusive fairness delay something important."
What exactly was this important matter of yours? Saving your own life?
"We should be able to cram a hundred people into the motorhomes. I'll take some important figures and their families. Don't worry, Second Lieutenant. They're all prominent people with a certain standing. They have influence in Tulong's council—and, well, even in the galactic heartland. When this is over, people will remember that you saved a hundred lives, including old people and children."
But I'll remember that I abandoned another thousand, including old people and children.
"Of course, the rest are in a difficult position, too. You can leave behind a small squad to protect them. All they have to do is hold the mouth of the valley, and they should be able to last until help arrives. Well, may the Spirit of the Universe watch over them. They'll surely hold out to the end."
Yu Lian held back the urge to destroy something, his smile unchanged. He was amazed at himself for still being able to smile at a time like this.
"...Why not wait a few more days, Councilor? I estimate that Tulong will launch a counterattack soon. Reinforcements from the garrison headquarters and the Outer Ring Fleet should arrive soon, too. Why take the risk of entering the city?"
"Oh, haven't you seen for yourself? Everyone's supplies won't last much longer." The councilor took a sip of wine, then popped another little cake into his mouth.
Right. Wait another day or two, and the starving, ill-clothed rabble might turn on you. When people were pushed to the brink and heard children crying from hunger, even the meekest could become monsters. That was exactly why you wanted me to escort you into the city first, wasn't it?
So, consolidating the convoy's supplies and distributing the wealthy's surplus to the poor, who had too little food and clothing—that option had never even crossed your mind, had it?
Before you continue