Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 598

Chapter 596, Battle of Betrayal

Fifteen minutes passed, and Wang Mengsong was sweating profusely.

He hadn’t noticed before, but when he faced them, he realized how powerful the Fury Flame was.

Weren’t they just a chapter beaten by the Phoenix?

Could it really be his own chapter… Impossible! I didn’t believe it!

Fifteen minutes earlier, the Fury Flame and New World Torch had officially fallen out, and the Fury Flame chapter launched a direct attack.

Not only were the soldiers from both sides on the plains of the valley, but the Fury Flame had also deployed firepower in the nearby mountains.

This was truly a Hongmen Banquet. Paulitus had ill intentions from the start.

And it wasn’t just the Space Marines; they had also mobilized some troops from the rebels. They were no match for the Space Marines in a direct battle, but they could use their artillery and long-range bombardments. The firing points were located from tens to dozens of kilometers away, making it difficult for the New World Torch to deal with them.

Of course, Wang Mengsong had come prepared.

He had already determined that Paulitus harbored ill intentions, prepared to surrender or backstab him, so how could he possibly have dared to come to the appointment?

As Paulitus drew his sword, Wang Mengsong, in turn, pulled out his gun.

An explosive barrage of fire enveloped Paulitus.

And when the Fury Flame Captain burst through the barrage, striking with his sword, he was met by the radiant green blade wielded by Wang Mengsong.

In three fleeting exchanges, Wang Mengsong’s strikes targeted Paulitus’ vital points, never once considering the possibility of being struck by the power sword himself.

With such a life-or-death situation, Paulitus shouldn’t have been afraid.

But he was.

His sword wounded Wang Mengsong, but the radiant green weapon slashed through his flesh, nearly killing him.

The disparity in weaponry was immense.

He had heard of phased weapons, but this was his first encounter with them.

He knew Wang Mengsong himself didn’t possess such a weapon.

Only the Alliance did.

It went without saying who had given him the sword.

Paulitus had anticipated this; otherwise, he wouldn’t have invited Wang Mengsong to

such a daunting situation. He simply wanted to neutralize Wang Mengsong, a potential threat, to eliminate this wavering allied Chapter Leader and secure the New World Torch. To achieve this goal, he initially didn’t even consider killing him, merely placing him under house arrest. It wasn’t

until he learned that Wang Mengsong had brought his entire regiment to the “banquet” that his heart began to sink.

His distrust was clear.

He simply hoped it wasn’t too late.

He was decisive, but… Wang Mengsong was even more decisive.

One look at that phased weapon made everything clear.

Paulitus didn’t press the issue of a decisive battle with Wang Mengsong.

In his opinion, Wang Mengsong’s abilities were merely so-so. As a Chapter Commander, Ma Hu Hu could be considered a Chapter Champion.

But the problem was, so was he. After that bloody battle, he was indeed one of the strongest within the Fury Flame, but before that, he wasn’t considered top of the pack.

Compared to Wang Mengsong, the two were evenly matched.

But if the difference in weaponry was factored in, his chances of victory were slim.

Wang Mengsong didn’t engage in much further combat. After Paulitus retreated, he, less injured, retreated to his own Chapter.

Under intense fire, he led his troops back into the mountains.

In this battle, his New World Torches were undoubtedly at a disadvantage.

Not only were they outnumbered and outgunned, but they were also completely at a disadvantage in terms of terrain. Just retreating to the mountains cost them over a dozen lives.

But this was only the beginning.

Six hundred Fury Flames pressed forward, artillery fire hammered down on them, and at least three hundred more lay in ambush, closing in from all directions.

No matter how you looked at it, it looked like total annihilation.

If Wang Mengsong had his way, he definitely wouldn’t do this job.

Coming here to die?

But… this was the Alliance’s request.

As a capitulator, what bargaining power could he have? To win the Governor’s approval, to prove his worth, to secure better treatment after surrender?

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and come.

Of course, the Alliance couldn’t offer anything like, “Go and kill Fury!”

Everyone knew they didn’t have the strength.

The New World Torch’s mission was simply to keep the enemy engaged, at the cost of some sacrifice.

After he informed Grit of his meeting with Paulitus, the Sister of the Holy Lily of Mercy requested his appointment, requiring him to remain for at least fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, the Holy Lily of Mercy, the Glory Guards, the Alliance Army, the Alliance Navy… every force Grit could mobilize was already being mobilized.

But they couldn’t be too blatant, lest they draw attention.

Fortunately, the secrecy of the operation wouldn’t last long. Once Paulitus and Wang Mengsong fell out, they could move forward at full speed.

However, the New World Torch would have to work a bit harder.

While they were disadvantaged in every way, they still had 300 Space Marines. Shouldn’t they hold out for 15 minutes? Surely not too many casualties?

Not really.

Even with their advance preparations, they still lost over a dozen soldiers simply to escape the wrathful fire.

Considering the guerrilla warfare of the past six months, the New World Torch had only lost around 50 men.

But the sacrifices were only just beginning.

Huanyue wasn’t a particularly beautiful place. Its rolling hills offered no dense forests, but rather strange boulders and pits of varying depths.

While this provided some cover, it was better than nothing.

They still had to face long-range bombardments and the wrathful fire coming from all directions.

With no room for maneuver, the New World Torch was forced to clash with their former comrades under these dire conditions.

Oh, they are not unfamiliar with this, after all, they did it once a few years ago.

However, with no way to compensate for their disadvantages in all aspects, their numbers continued to dwindle rapidly.

In just ten minutes, over thirty more men had fallen.

The total casualties already exceeded those of the guerrilla warfare of the previous six months.

More crucially, the Chapter’s morale was completely shattered.

Were the warriors of the New World Torch born traitors?

Not really.

Betrayal and backstabbing were always dishonorable.

If it had been like backstabbing and annihilating thousands of Blood Rose Battle Sisters and another Chapter on Tianyuan VI, it would have been fine. After all, in that battle, they were the overwhelmingly superior, and the insecurity they carried didn’t hinder their chances of a prolonged victory.

But now, not only were they the traitors, but they were also the disadvantaged, making the situation even more difficult.

Losing over 15% of their warriors in just ten minutes wasn’t the biggest issue; the more significant issue was that the entire Chapter’s front was actually showing signs of crumbling.

This was something Wang Mengsong hadn’t anticipated.

He had originally thought, no matter how difficult the situation, they were still three hundred Space Marines, so they should be able to hold out for fifteen minutes, right?

Now, it seemed like their line would collapse in fifteen minutes. Of course, not everyone would be killed, but by the time Grit’s reinforcements arrived, how many of the New World Torches, surrounded, their lines broken, and strangled, unable to escape, would survive?

Wang Mengsong felt a chill in his heart.

Fortunately, things turned around in the tenth minute.

It wasn’t Grit’s reinforcements that arrived, even with her best efforts, they couldn’t have been that fast.

It was the Alliance warships in Phantom Moon orbit that sent in supporting firepower.

The moment things fell apart, Wang Mengsong called for help. He sent the coordinates. Aside from the rocky area he and his men had mapped out, everything else was within striking range.

The Navy still, and always would, disliked pointless attacks on the surface.

But the current situation clearly wasn’t the case.

Although the coordinates given were considered inaccessible, the strike targets a vast mountainous area. However, since there were clearly large numbers of enemy Space Marines in this area, this made things easier.

Furthermore, saving just a few hundred Space Marines was a worthwhile investment.

To avoid impacting the New World Torch, the warships in the sky deliberately avoided weapons with wide bombardments, instead relying solely on lances and missiles for this ground support mission.

Light lances have a limited range and won’t cause a violent explosion upon impact—the explosion of the destroyed target is another matter.

However, that doesn’t mean they can’t provide ground support.

Dozens of beams of light, varying in thickness, descended from the sky, illuminating the ground and sweeping across a defined area. The rocky surface they encountered quickly burned, cracked, and melted. Nothing remained intact in the area swept by the light lances.

No matter how agile and nimble a Space Marine might be, they couldn’t escape the light.

While the Light Lance’s accuracy was sufficient, unfortunately, the starships in orbit couldn’t lock onto the Space Marines moving about in the mountains and deliver accurate strikes. Only three or five were actually killed. The Light Lance’s sweep served a greater purpose of deterrence and intimidation, blanketing an area and deterring the enemy from entering.

This practically encircled the area designated by Wang Mengsong.

The subsequent missiles would then provide a wider bombing effect.

The area marked by Wang Mengsong was the center, encompassing a forty-kilometer radius. The Sky-Splitting Axe would strike at the edges, providing extensive coverage and heavy damage; the Scalpel would be used to strike near the New World Torch’s location to avoid collateral damage.

The earth trembled under the fierce bombardment.

Even when they were accurately avoided, the New World Torch’s warriors were forced to duck and take cover to avoid the shockwaves and boulders thrown from the nearby explosions.

Yet, within the bombing range, Fury, despite the intense firepower, continued its attack!

It was a reasonable response. Although they didn’t know the coordinates Wang Mengsong had sent them, their chances of being bombed were lower if they were in the same group as the New World Torch.

But making the right decision is easier said than done.

The New World Torch couldn’t make it, and so they suffered a crushing loss.

Wang Mengsong was furious, and for a moment, he felt truly disappointed in his own chapter.

But this was his chapter, after all.

He charged, swaying amidst the trembling earth; amidst the deafening explosions, he roared at the top of his lungs, his voice beaming through the communication channel, reaching the helmets of every New World Torch:

“Fight! Fight! New World Torches are no cowards! We fight for survival! Only those with courage can survive!”

As the Chapter Commander, his cry… at best, it was somewhat effective.

The New World Torch warriors moved, albeit hesitantly. The

only ones who remained truly steadfast were his personal guard and a few company commanders, a mere thirty or so men in all.

However, with their valiant efforts, they managed to repel the onslaught of the orbital bombardment.

Fury was no superhuman, and few could mount a counterattack under such circumstances.

Furthermore, Paulitus was harbouring thoughts of retreat.

Without capturing Wang Mengsong and swiftly destroying his legion, there was no chance.

Now, the orbital bombardment was coming, so what next?

Those pesky Sisters of Battle and the Glory Guards were surely already on their way in their fighter planes. They were likely already on standby in their aircraft, ready to descend at full speed should combat break out. The elite troops stationed within 200 kilometers, including takeoff and acceleration time, would arrive in no more than fifteen minutes. If

they didn’t retreat now, when would they?

Even if they could handle a few sudden attacks from the Sisters of Battle and the Glory Guards, they would likely face the Marine airborne troops descending from orbit.

If they could even handle that, then the massive Alliance Army forces surrounding the entire mountain area would follow. The more they fought,

the more hopeless it became.

A quick retreat, a quick breakout, was the best strategy.

However, at that moment, through the lingering smoke and dust from the orbital bombardment, Paulitus spotted fighter planes breaking through the air.

These Wind Falcons and Kirin fighters rained down missiles from the air, suppressing the enraged Space Marines. Meanwhile, elite mortal warriors quickly descended.

After emptying the soldiers inside, half of the fighters returned, probably to pick up more people; while the other half refused to leave, circling in mid-air, their machine guns frantically pouring fire on the ground, assisting the airborne Sisters and Guards in advancing.

Fury had lost some men in the previous bombing, but the casualties were not as severe as expected.

The Space Marines’ survivability was still very strong.

They had strong combat instincts and knew where to hide. Even carpet bombing could not cover every place in a second; there would always be areas that were not covered.

Moreover, the powerful protective capabilities of the power armor allowed them to survive even when they were not hit directly.

But disorientation was inevitable.

Under the cover of air force missiles and machine guns, the Battle Sisters and the Glory Guards successfully reunited with the New World Torch.

(End of this chapter)