Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 621 The Current War Situation

"Commander Shaneva, the black dragon named Seye is right beneath this black iron cage," Mikhail replied, pointing to the dark, strange, and unsettlingly distorted iron cage before him.

"After years of development by the 'Dedication Group' and our Federation, the 'Former 08' military fortress is the largest military camp in the Transnabuan Mountains, bar none. Compared to the 'Core Fortress,' which is what Commander Vasily often refers to as Belogersk, it only lacks commercial and residential functions."

"Therefore, this comprehensive military building actually has ten floors. However, due to the rapid changes in the war situation and the fact that we have only just recaptured this place, only four or five floors are currently in use. The Seye is on the very bottom floor, close to the 'Earthline' and 'Core Territory' built by the dwarves who were heavily relied upon by the old empire."

"Is there a secret passage here?" Shaneva asked jokingly, examining the ordinary iron cage that exuded a somewhat sinister and dark atmosphere.

"It's just a cage for keeping wild beasts. When you carried it into the room, I thought the one covered by the black cloth was Seye. But after not hearing any dragon sounds for a while, I thought you had given him sleeping pills. If it's right under the cage, could there be a 'warp array' lurking here?"

“It’s not a warp array.” Mikhail took out the black remote control in his hand, pointed it at the cage, and pressed the only red button on it.

Beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep.

A rapid, interspersed beeping alarm came from the cages. Soon, the luxurious electric lights around the room went out one by one, leaving only one source of light in the pitch-black room.

"You still say it's not a 'warp array,' but this is clearly..."

Before Shaneva could finish speaking, the purple sphere of light completely enveloped the black cage, like a viscous, living glue. After completely devouring the iron cage, it transformed into a towering pillar of light resembling a beacon.

The intense light bursting upwards brought with it an extreme gale, but strangely, while the gale blew up Shaneva's cotton coat and Mikhail's bandages, it had no effect on the delicate, fragile paper in the room.

After a series of noisy, metallic-sounding flashes of light and shadow, the iron cage in front of Shaneva and Mikhail completely disappeared, replaced by a precision instrument about half a person's height.

The surrounding environment also underwent a dramatic change, instantly transforming into the "shallow modified cave layer" where Seye was imprisoned.

"Commander Shaneva." Upon seeing Shaneva and Mikhail, the Novayask guards around them showed no surprise, and instead naturally gave the two a standard Krusk salute.

A few seconds later, a newly promoted federal officer, a few years younger than Mikhail, approached Shaneva.

"Hello, Commander Shaneva." The newly promoted officer saluted and introduced himself to Shaneva, saying:
"My name is Olga Novayasky. I am a native of Novayask, born in the 'Dawn Factory District' of Novayask, and a descendant of the workers here. Thanks to Commander Mikhail's promotion, I currently serve as the 'First Commander' of the Military Institute under the Strategic Regiment of the Federation Council, and the Chief of Staff of the various corps in Operation 'The End of Atlas'. My main responsibility is to assist Commander Mikhail in campaign planning and handling war missions related to extraordinary events."

Shaneva merely nodded politely, offering no further conversation with Olga. Instead, she turned to Mikhail and asked, her tone ambiguous:
"This was a last-minute interview you arranged for me, right?"

“Yes, Commander Shaneva.” Mikhail added a few details about Olga’s identity:
"The only ones here who can communicate normally with Seye, and who have been feeding and caring for her for the past two days, are this Olga brother. As you know, Anna went mad after you threatened her, and she's now on a special train back to Novayask for treatment. As for Wright... I suggest we keep him away from anything related to dragons. His dragon-related abilities, especially 'Crimson Dragon Roar,' could cause dragons to break free from our control and join his side."

"As for Olga, he was once a lost soul. After returning to the city of Novayask, he has completely transformed into a superhuman who insists on maintaining his human identity. His magical energy and the burning fluid in his body have been at a low level for a long time, and the results of several blood test strips have been very satisfactory. Moreover, he once joined the 'Spear of Odyssey'."

"'The Spear of Odyssey'?" Upon hearing the name of this organization, Shaneva couldn't help but give Olga a closer look. After all, few people knew that "The Spear of Odyssey" was not actually a completely independent organization of the Lost Ones; it was backed by various cities within the Federation Council that were dissatisfied with Vasily.

Their secret funding of "Odyssey's Spear" was aimed at both sabotaging the "Universal Energy Evolution Platform" project and finding an opportunity to overthrow Vasily's rule. Among them, the largest contributor was Novayask, led by Shaneva.

Olga was only in her early twenties, with silver hair, giving her a mixed Eastern and Western appearance. Her face was very youthful, with an exceptionally fair complexion and oval shape. Apart from a few scars hidden by her hair, her face exuded a feminine softness, but also possessed a handsome masculine charm.

But aside from his face, Olga's physique is quite in line with the Krusde aesthetic. He is about the same height as Mikhail, both at 190cm, and much more muscular. Perhaps because he was once a lost soul, his physique is slightly more robust than Mikhail's.

In order to make a good impression on Shaneva, the solitary female administrator, Olga wore a figure-hugging black lingerie underneath, while on the outside she wore a silver-white bodyguard jacket that deliberately exposed her chest muscles, and a pair of silver-white, form-fitting trousers with a design reminiscent of the old empire.

After just a brief look, Shaneva found that a long-dormant emotion within her had been quietly awakened. Her eyes glazed over for a few seconds before being quickly dispelled by the composure of a leader. "What is your role in the 'Spear of Odyssey'?" Shaneva's voice returned to the cold seriousness of a leader.

“I am one of the leaders of the ‘Spear of Odyssey’… ‘Shepherd’, my code name is ‘Mechanical Harmony’, because I admire the ‘Master of Machines’ and have a natural interest in machines,” Olga replied respectfully.

"'In the beginning of the mechanical era, all things were in harmony.' This is my motto. Perhaps it is the partial bloodline of the Khitan royal family hidden within me, coupled with the blessing of the 'Master of Machines,' that has enabled me to carry out the arduous tasks of Commander Mikhail."

"Commander Mikhail told me that he didn't want a pure dragon, because such a dragon would be difficult to control. After all, dragons are a proud race, a race of power. Even after being imprisoned in the Dragon Realm for many years, their arrogance and conceit have not been extinguished."

“Very good, but Olga, now that you are the chief of staff for all the armies, before we deal with the dragons, I want you to report to me on the current battle situation and the next direction of attack. If your judgment is similar to mine, I will approve Mikhail's promotion of you and issue you a formal appointment.” Shaneva posed a very tempting “interview question.”

“Of course, Commander Shaneva.” Even as a superhuman, Olga could not hide the deep-seated excitement that ran through her bones when faced with power.

He took a deep breath, pulled out a notebook from his pocket filled with battle information recorded in multiple languages, and began to explain to Shaneva:

"In terms of military strength, we currently have a total of 153,200 troops available for the war. Excluding the adventurers and volunteer organizations within the federal cities that we can currently manage, the front-line legions deployed to the front lines total 137500. As for the Lost Organization 'Dedication Group,' according to joint reconnaissance by our reconnaissance forces, 'Odyssey's Spear' collaborators, and 'Dark Night Investigation Team' rebels, its members total 13200, most of whom are semi-lost, as well as women and children who are not capable of fighting."

"Can you guarantee the accuracy of the intelligence?" Shaneva asked, a hint of doubt on her face.

“Of course.” Olga nodded slightly and continued:
"The 'Spear of Odyssey' has cooperated with you and Novayask for many years. Even if we betray Commander Vasily, we will not betray you. As for the 'Dark Night Investigation Team,' also known as the 'Night Guard,' they do not approve of Nebrius's treason. Their funding has long been allocated by the Federation Council, and they have benefited greatly from the Federation. Apart from a few die-hards, most of them are forced to submit to Nebrius's jurisdiction due to the situation."

"Our strategic team believes that once the war ends or Nebrius dies, the 'Dark Night Investigation Team' can quickly return to the jurisdiction of the Federal Council. Even those who doubt their loyalty should be dealt with after the war, and the disloyal ones should be settled."

“Okay, you can continue,” Shaneva commanded.

"The 'Dedication Group' originally operated in cities like Novayask and Khotov, with some members integrating into urban life and production. However, because they supported Nebrius and opposed the Federation, some of their lost members were expelled, a small number were killed, and the majority voluntarily went to the Transnabuan Mountains to participate in this battle. That's why there are so many of them." Olga continued, flipping through her notebook.
“They are different from the ‘Chaos Group’ that fought against the Federation last year. The East is sparsely populated, and the ‘Heartless’ here are either asleep or dead from lack of food and dehydration. So they have never controlled the ‘Heartless’ to fight against us. There are only a few ‘alien monsters’ that have been deliberately hidden.”

"I agree with your assessment," Shaneva nodded slightly, with a hint of appreciation, and said:
"If we follow Ivanov's theory, individuals infected with the 'Heartless Man' virus will generally survive through the virus's intense reproduction and vigorous mutual cannibalization, leaving behind superior evolved individuals. In other words, they will evolve to an unimaginable level in just a century. However, the 'Heartless Man' in the west is indeed formidable in combat, while the 'Heartless Man' in the east is relatively low-level. Besides the Federation's large-scale extermination every fifty years, there is also the resource scarcity factor you mentioned."

“Yes, Commander Shaneva,” Olga continued, relaying information about the battle situation.
"As for Nebrius's rebels, the forces deployed in the war include the First Nebsk Army Corps, the Nebsk Guard, the Second Hoputov Army Corps, as well as local armed forces from the southern cities of Heaven's Punishment, South Uhatta, and the Far Southeast region, totaling 176,000 men. Nebrius's trusted forces, the Nebsk Guard, numbering approximately 15000, are currently of unknown whereabouts and are expected to remain in Nebsk to maintain city security or as a reserve force."

"In terms of weaponry, our army has 30 rifles in reserve and a daily ammunition production of 15 rounds, ensuring that every frontline soldier has more than 20 rounds of ammunition. We also have 1500 long-range artillery pieces of various types, 30000 rocket launchers, 6 rocket launchers, 10000 engineering machines of various types, 35 tanks, and 8000 mechanized armored vehicles. Due to the terrain of the Transnabuya Mountains, the tanks and mechanized armored vehicles have not been very effective and have not been deployed to the front lines. However, more than 100 aerospace force aircraft have been able to conduct daily airstrikes on Belogersk before the sandstorms."

“Perhaps, this is the source of Nabrius’s confidence.” Shaneva clenched her fists and said angrily:
“I now suspect that when Nabrius first entered the Outer Naboa Mountains in search of ‘lithium ore,’ it was all a setup to lure me in. However, I only sent adventurers to assist him from beginning to end, and when he saw that I hadn’t fallen for it, he openly rebelled.”

“This is what the Khitans call fate. Nabrius’s plan had been in preparation for at least a year, but he didn’t expect the Gnaj defenses to collapse so quickly, let alone that the centuries-old capital, Icefall City, would fall within two months,” Mikhail analyzed.

"This led you to devote all your energy to negotiating with Kuka and accepting the troops, civilians, and workers fleeing from the west, leaving you no time to attend to the situation in Nebusk. When everything settled down, Nebrius found that he had gained nothing from the chaos, so he attempted to break with the Federation, forcing us to launch an offensive war so that he would side with the victims."

“Indeed, this man’s heart is as wicked as Satan’s, and his methods as cunning as the devil’s. If the true culprit were to return, he would surely be cast into hell, pierced by steel blades, and burned alive in flames.” Shaneva cursed lightly, then calmed down and looked at Olga again, asking:

"So, how have we been doing these past few days, and what are your plans for the next step?"

"Currently, we have recovered all military outposts except for the 'Former 01' military fortress, but we only control these 'points.' We haven't occupied many more scattered military areas in the vast Outer Naboa Mountains. Regarding the underground passages, because the 'Dedication Group' has sealed off the 'Earthline,' we currently only control 'Earthline 21' and the nearby Old Empire mine," Olga explained her understanding.

"Next, while capturing the 'Former Military Fortress No. 01,' we should continue the feint attack on the front line to prevent supplies from Nabsk from being transported to Belogersk. At the same time, the outer legions should declare the complete closure of the Outer Nabsk Mountains. After the sandstorm dissipates, we should only conduct routine bombing and small-scale harassing attacks on Belogersk, without launching a full-scale attack, and simply maintain a siege posture."

"At the same time, we need to organize a special task force of superhumans to find a way to infiltrate Belogersk through the 'Earth Line' with the main mission of either decapitating Nabrius or reclaiming the [Core of Khitania]. Once the [Core] is lost, Nabrius and the 'Dedication Group' will lose their basis for cooperation."