You were told to search and attack, but you're supporting Asara?

When Chen Xiao returned from Dam Zero, it was already completely dark.

Asara's nights are free from urban light pollution, and you can look up to see a sky full of stars like scattered diamonds—of course, half of those stars are Hafk's Skynet satellites, coldly overlooking this war-torn land.

He parked his SUV in front of the GTI rescue station, but instead of going in, he leaned against the car door and lit a cigarette.

To be honest, negotiating with Saeed was much more tiring than arguing with Zoya. At least Zoya could sit in her office making phone calls, while Saeed could flip the table and turn on her at any moment. Just now in the conference room, the way those squad leaders looked at him was like they wanted to devour him alive—if it weren't for Saeed keeping them in check, someone probably would have actually done it.

"prophet?"

A voice came from behind, tinged with uncertainty.

Chen Xiao turned around and saw Lena Van der Meier standing at the entrance of the aid station, holding an enamel mug that was steaming. She had changed into a clean gray-green combat uniform, her golden braids hanging down her chest, and her face still looked sleepy.

"When did you get back?" She took a few steps closer, wrinkled her nose at the smell of smoke, and asked, "Why didn't you go inside?"

"Just arrived, let me have a smoke to calm down." Chen Xiao stubbed out his cigarette, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "You didn't sleep well either?"

Lina didn't answer directly, but simply handed him the enamel mug: "This is freshly brewed black tea, I haven't drunk it yet. You don't look well, warm it up first."

Chen Xiao paused for a moment, then took it. The white paint on the enamel mug was peeling, revealing the metal underneath, but the black tea inside was very hot, burning his palm through the mug's walls.

"Thanks."

Lina pursed her lips and stepped aside to let the doorway open. "Come in. Wang Yuhao is organizing his equipment, and Mai Xiaowen is testing the communication equipment. Everyone's here."

Chen Xiao carried the tea and followed her inside.

Pushing open the door to the lounge, a complex smell of gun oil, coffee, and sweat hit me.

Wang Yuhao was squatting on the ground cleaning his gun, the Tiger Crouching Cannon disassembled and scattered in parts. His movements were practiced, but his expression was full of impatience—clearly not with the gun itself, but with a certain person.

Mai Xiaowen sat cross-legged on a cot, a modified tactical tablet in front of her, her fingers tracing patterns on it. Her short, silver hair was a little messy, tied in a small bun with a rubber band, revealing fine beads of sweat on the back of her neck.

Deep Blue wasn't there; his heavy equipment took up too much space, so he usually rested alone in the next room.

"Oh, Commander Chen is back." Mai Xiaowen didn't even look up, her tone laced with sarcasm. "I heard you got promoted? Where's the Commander-in-Chief? My apologies for not recognizing you sooner."

Chen Xiao was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"Zoya informed us." Wang Yuhao didn't look up, his hand still holding the silencer. "She said you've been appointed as the commander-in-chief of Operation 'Ascension,' and that we should cooperate fully. She sounded quite happy, which is rare."

"Happy?" Chen Xiao's lips twitched. "She's happy that someone's taking the blame for her, isn't she?"

Mai Xiaowen finally raised her head, her eyes darting around as she looked him up and down: "Tell me honestly, what exactly did you say to Zoya? How could she be willing to delegate authority to you? She's the kind of person who dares to talk back to even the commander."

"I told you the truth." Chen Xiao sat down on the ammunition box opposite the cot and placed the enamel mug in his hand on his knee.

"Telling the truth will get you promoted?" Mai Xiaowen looked incredulous. "If I tell the truth every day, why am I still a reconnaissance soldier?"

"The 'truth' you're talking about is insulting Wang Yuhao, that's a personal attack, not the truth."

"Pfft—" Lina couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth.

Wang Yuhao looked up and glared at Chen Xiao, but the corner of his mouth was twitching.

Chen Xiao said seriously, "I'm not joking anymore. I need to discuss the specific plan for this operation with you. Zoya gave me the title of commander-in-chief, but you are the ones who actually do the work."

"Us?" Wang Yuhao stopped what he was doing, his brows furrowing. "What do you mean? You're not coming with us?"

"I need to be in command on the ground, and at the same time coordinate with Said," Chen Xiao explained. "The rocket launch site at the space base has several entrances, and I need to have a comprehensive view of the entire area; I can't go into the core area."

Mai Xiaowen sat up straight, putting the tactical tablet aside: "So you're planning to send the three of us—me, Wang Yuhao, and the instructor—to the rocket launch site?"

"No. Deep Blue has other missions." Chen Xiao shook his head. "The air defense firepower around the space base needs ground guidance, and Deep Blue's heavy equipment and protective capabilities are best suited for this. He will set up observation posts on the perimeter to guide Ferrell's fighter jets for precision strikes."

"Freil?" Wang Yuhao's eyes lit up. "Then I'm all set."

Chen Xiao nodded and continued, "The raid on the core area will be carried out by Wang Yuhao and Mai Xiaowen. Lina will set up a medical point on the outskirts to treat the wounded."

Lina, who had been listening quietly, nodded slightly when she heard her name called: "I can leave the rescue station to others. I'll take a 'Butterfly' drone to follow the convoy and establish a temporary medical evacuation chain."

"No way," Chen Xiao said outright. "It's too dangerous. You can't imagine the firepower density at the space base. If a firefight breaks out, your drones simply won't be able to withstand it."

Lina bit her lip, not refuting, but her eyes clearly showed her dissatisfaction.

Mai Xiaowen glanced at her, then at Chen Xiao, and suddenly laughed: "Oh, Commander Chen, are you feeling sorry for someone?"

Chen smiled without batting an eye: "I'm worried about the drone. Where am I supposed to get another one after it's been shot down?"

Mai Xiaowen pouted: "Stubborn to the end."

Wang Yuhao finished assembling the last few parts of the Tiger Crouching Cannon, clapped his hands, and stood up: "Alright, let's get down to business. We're going in for a surprise attack on the core area; our objective is to escort the rocket launch—how exactly?"

Chen Xiao pulled a crumpled map from his pocket and spread it on the ammunition box. It was a hand-drawn sketch of the space base, covered with dense markings in pencil.

"The launch site at the space base is heavily guarded. We need to use the Wheat probe to sneak in secretly and control the rocket to launch before Demulan can react, so that the launch procedure can run according to the Minerva's settings."

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Lina broke the silence: "What about evacuation? After uploading the program, how will you get out?"

"There's a passage behind the launch site, but once you leave the space base at Hafk, you're stuck. Saeed's guards will be there to meet you." Chen Xiao drew a dotted line on the map. "From the control center to the entrance of the evacuation passage, the straight-line distance is 300 meters, but you have to pass through two open platforms in between, completely exposed to fire."

"So we need fire support," Wang Yuhao continued. "Could Saeed's guards be deployed to the vicinity of the repair area in advance?"

"Yes, but not too close," Chen said with a smile. "The maintenance area is the core of Hafk's logistical support, and it's also where troops are stationed. If Saeed's people are exposed beforehand, Hafk will strengthen the defenses of the control center, and our plan will be ruined."

Mai Xiaowen tapped her knees, her mind racing: "How about this—I'll set up several smoke and flashbang throw points along the evacuation route, and detonate them remotely when you come out, covering your passage through the open platform."

"Okay," Chen Xiao nodded.

Lina suddenly spoke up: "So what happens after you upload the program? Is your mission finished?"

"No." Chen Xiao shook his head. "Uploading the program is only the first step. The 'Minerva' program needs about ten minutes to complete its penetration of Skynet. During those ten minutes, Hafk will try to cut off the rocket's control links at all costs. We need to hold the launch site until the program is successfully injected."

"Ten minutes," Wang Yuhao repeated. "I can do it!"

"Of course I believe you can do it." Chen Xiao raised his head, looking at the confident and spirited Weilong in front of him: "But this is not a task that you can complete alone. I need each of you to work together based on your own judgment and experience."

Mai Xiaowen looked at him and suddenly laughed: "When you said those things, you really did sound like a commander."