Late at night, torches blazed to life, lighting the night sky like a streak of dawn. Beneath their glow were the determined gazes of the Kangbu Revolutionary Army soldiers. Before the time for the final assault arrived, the soldiers had already advanced to within roughly six hundred meters of the port, ready to charge at any moment.
"Wheee-" A whistle pierced the sky, and earth-shaking battle cries and pounding footsteps heralded a different kind of night. The explosions of artillery shells and the roar of machine guns followed.
Meanwhile, at the Night Return Port government offices.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Division commander, what do we do?" A messenger quickly reached the government command headquarters and passed the alarm to the highest-ranking local commander. "What are you panicking for?" The division commander turned around and said with a hint of amusement, "Follow the original plan. Retreat while putting up a little resistance."
The messenger seemed reassured at once. "Yes, division commander!" He then rushed to the front lines to pass on the information.
"Firefly Type IV, activate!" As a solemn male voice rang out over the battlefield, an outpouring sea of fire instantly shattered the enemy's forward positions. The man who followed had blue light blazing from his eyes, and he vanished from where he stood in an instant.
"Finish the battle as quickly as possible!" With those words, Hanxing instantly claimed several heads and went on a killing spree in the darkness, turning the entire position into a paradise of blood.
"Understood. Executing scorched-earth operations!" With Firefly's response, the sea of fire descended again, sweeping across the battlefield. "Hold their main force here. I'll see if I can get some 'high-value targets.'" Hanxing's figure then vanished into the night.
"Hmm, just looking at this place, I can tell whoever lives here is no ordinary person!" Looking at the brightly lit house, Hanxing couldn't help laughing aloud. He instantly appeared on the balcony and kicked the door open. "Kangbu Revolutionary Army! Drop your weapons and you'll be spared!"
Several guards inside surrounded a person who was probably at least a battalion commander. The guards hesitated for only a moment before opening fire together.
Without further hesitation, Hanxing drew his blade and split a bullet in two with one slash, then used it to block the hail of gunfire. He appeared behind one guard and severed his head with a single stroke. Then he fixed his gaze on the other guards. "Prison of Fiery Eyes: Ashen Annihilation!" The remaining guards fell to the ground together.
"Now, will you surrender obediently, or do I have to use force to make you?" Hanxing asked coldly, looking at the enemy before him. "Of course I'll surrender myself... heh heh..." Unexpectedly, the guy was quite spineless.
Suddenly, as Hanxing was about to tie the officer up and take him back, his body froze for an instant. The moment he was struck, he understood: this was the power of "Order."
But it lasted only an instant. Once Hanxing came to his senses, embarrassment turned to anger, and he glared into the Pathstrider's eyes. "Prison of Fiery Eyes: Forbidden Thrust!" The man fell to the ground unconscious.
The attacking forces from the outskirts had also reached this place by then. Han Chuan looked at Hanxing and the person lying before him. "What happened here?" "An officer who seemed pretty important. I captured him while I was at it," Hanxing said simply. Han Chuan took two steps forward. "He's a regimental commander. Your first battle was a success!"
"It's only a small victory. It can't affect the bigger picture yet, of course," Hanxing said modestly. Then he spotted a telephone nearby. "How about we issue a false order and tell them to retreat?"
"I didn't expect you to have so many nasty tricks." Han Chuan picked up the nearby telephone as he spoke. "This is regimental headquarters. The regimental commander has just been killed. I'm issuing orders in his place: all forces, retreat!"
Before long, the gunfire gradually died down, replaced by the sound of running footsteps. "That takes quite a bit of pressure off the front line." Han Chuan wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Bang!" The door flew open with a violent crash. Outside stood Firefly in the Sam armor. Firefly looked around and deactivated her armor. "I didn't expect you to be so quick."
"You're not bad yourself," Hanxing said, looking at Firefly with a smile. "These guys are a lot easier to fight than the Swarm." Firefly found a chair and sat down. "Lie Feng sent orders for us to rest here until the war is over."
"So he wants us to show up, do the bare minimum, and leave?" Hanxing said with a cold laugh. "Don't put it like that. Anyone would regret it if you two companions were to die so close to making it home." Yan Bai's voice came from the doorway as he walked in. "Now, let's wait for victory in the battle!"
"So this is where they've been living in comfort?" Lie Feng looked at the building before him, grinding his teeth with hatred. Then he raised his arm and shouted, "Brothers, once we charge in, victory is ours!"
With the momentum of tigers charging down a mountain, the troops soon captured the so-called city government after encountering scattered resistance. They planted the Kangbu Revolutionary Army's flag high atop the government building.
Yan Bai looked at the flag fluttering outside the window and smiled faintly. "Looks like the commander succeeded. Getting production back up and running will be a troublesome matter, though..."