Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

A steady stream of monsters will emerge from the rift and once again impact areas where humans live, so they must be vigilant.

Strictly speaking, the reinforcements that were sent in earlier will not be stationed here. They are only responsible for designated rescue and building strongholds.

Therefore, it would be okay for the soldiers led by Jeppard to fight once or twice, but if they were asked to keep fighting, there would be no other possibility except death from exhaustion.

"I understand. I will then request the Great Guardian's Withering Order and the allocation of more supplies. In the meantime, please ensure that you strengthen your defenses and await further instructions."

Bronya took the list he handed her, glanced at the details, and immediately replied.

"—Even if you can't meet all the requirements on the list, please approve at least half of them..."

This unexpected answer made Jeppard, who thought he would have to spend some more time talking, stunned.

The Silver Mane Iron Guards are facing a shortage of combat power and supplies. It can be said that there is a shortage of people everywhere, and the logistics departments are all crying out that there is no surplus food.

Even in the past, he often had to use more reasons to convince Commander Bronya, and even quarrels often broke out among the officers over this.

Of course, it wasn't Commander Bronya's fault, but rather the harsh conditions. If resources were simply transferred without a second thought based on a request, it would only breed corruption and theft of military pay.

How to correctly grasp the amount of supplies that the troops under your command really need is a basic skill that every commander needs to master.

But many times we have to face the situation where the reasons given by everyone are similar, and timely reinforcements are indeed needed, but there are only so many supplies and not enough to go around.

The newly created Rift, in terms of priority, certainly doesn't compare to the massive hole on the front lines. The fact that it's being given such attention suggests there might be more action to come...

In that case, how many Iron Guards would have to sacrifice to fulfill the Great Guardian's distant and unseen ambition?

Although he had accomplished his goal brilliantly, there was still a hint of melancholy on Jeppard's face.

"Guard Officer Jeppard?"

Hearing Commander Bronya's question, Jeppard subconsciously straightened his waist and apologized.

"Sorry, I got distracted—"

"That's all right. Officer Jeppard, how long have you been fighting?"

"Since the end of the defense of the restricted area on the front line last month, until now."

"...In that case, let's stop here."

Bronya stopped in front of Krippenburg and turned to look at Jeppard, who was standing a step behind her, his expression somewhat bewildered.

"It's 3:42 PM now. I need you to go home and rest for three hours before reporting back to Edge Path. Any objections?"

"...Lady Bronya, I'm not tired. Besides, if someone doesn't take over such an important guard duty—"

Jeppard shook his head heavily and politely declined, which Bronya questioned.

"Has Lieutenant Dunn returned to the Iron Guard restricted area?"

"Yes. In accordance with the transfer order from the Great Guardian, he was reassigned to the Iron Guard restricted area to guard the energy center eight hours ago, probably after you reported on military affairs."

"Lady Cocolia is acting like this again..."

Bronya held her forehead with her hand, feeling somewhat troubled.

No matter how tough the Iron Guards are, they cannot be used like tools forever.

Even iron tools are subject to fatigue and wear, so how could a person work continuously without stopping, and moreover, be moved at will without her consent?

She quickly calmed down her somewhat anxious mood and spoke seriously.

"Anyway, I understand the matter. But I still stand by my previous orders, Sergeant Jeppard.

I understand and appreciate your persistence, but for me, protecting the physical and mental health of every outstanding Iron Guard and ensuring that all soldiers get enough time to rest are equally important matters. "

When Jeppard was about to say something, Bronya comforted him.

"I know what you want to say, but don't worry. I've already chosen your successor. Just go back and get some rest, and don't forget to have dinner with your family."

"...Yes, Lady Bronya."

Although he didn't know why Lady Bronya was so tough today, Jeppard found her unexpectedly trustworthy.

After watching her enter Krippenburg, Jeppard also looked at the perpetual motion machine house not far from the street. Standing at the door there was a "young" woman with shiny blonde hair.

The other party was shouting towards him, and he could faintly hear the words: "Je-pad-de-!"

...This attracted the attention of many passers-by, but when they saw him, their feelings quickly turned to respect and yearning.

This wasn't something Jeppard was proud of. On the contrary, he sometimes felt guilty facing these enthusiastic gazes.

He was not as good as they thought, and victory on the battlefield was never achieved by his own strength. Without the sacrifice of his comrades, everything would be in vain.

In this state of mind, he walked towards the machinery house, just thinking.

Perhaps, as Lady Bronya said, he was indeed tired.

Let's take a short break before a new round of battle begins.

Chapter 45: The most important and most likely to fail first time

——Inside the magnificent and holy Krippenburg, a young girl in gorgeous clothes and graceful manners is reporting the plan for the subsequent war to the Great Guardian.

Her will was as firm as a fortress, her words were sharp but rigorous, and more importantly, her eyes were always on him, no longer filled with admiration like in the past.

The intelligence officer beside her was looking at her with admiration, just like the other City Builders who were assisting in the administration.

They were immersed in the girl's story and sincerely agreed with her ideas. The atmosphere in the room was obviously different from the previous dull one.

The Great Guardian Cocolia keenly sensed some changes.

However, she did not interrupt Bronya's report, but looked down at her from a condescending perspective.

She became even better, knowing how to use more benefits to bind the city builders together, and thoughtfully left them a piece of cake that could not be refused.

The Edge Passage was once the commercial district of Beloberg, so the opening of the Rift caused heavy losses to many of the City Builder families.

They certainly longed to regain people's commercial areas, but due to the long-standing threat of the Rift, they had no choice but to retreat.

People have never been able to retake the land eroded by the Rift.

This is a fact that people have had to admit for seven hundred years, no matter how reluctant they are.

Even though there are Iron Guards stationed there and regularly exterminating monsters, the human body is not suitable for staying in the Rift for a long time.

Even some objects, if left in the rift for a long time, would be infected by the ubiquitous corrosive force and become something completely different from their original form.

However, Bronya gave some "extremely dangerous" ideas.

She believes that the rift is more than just giving birth to monsters. If its continuous spread can be described as cancer, there must be a "lesion".

Today's Iron Guards are just trying in vain to kill the spreading cancer cells, ignoring the more important source.

If we can find the starting point of the rift's spread and clean it up, it will definitely be more meaningful than the current busy work of dealing with the rift monsters. By then, perhaps the expansion of the rift can be curbed.

Although Bronya had not mentioned the matter of the star core yet, Cocolia could sense that she was not unaware of it, but was... giving her the opportunity to explain it herself?

Cocolia's brows furrowed even deeper, and a feeling of dissatisfaction and anger was spreading in her heart.

Although she was pleased with Bronya's growth, if someone tried to go against her will under the instigation of others—

The coldness in Cocolia's eyes deepened, and at the same time, a possible candidate appeared in her mind.

That stupid and ignorant woman.

As the daughter of the Langdao family, she could have lived a carefree life even if she had just spent her days in the research department, but she chose "stellar cores" as her research subject among so many other topics.

If it weren't for the old friendship, I would have forgiven her rebellious behavior.

Like anyone who had tried to touch the truth of the star core in the past, she had either been expelled from the city or secretly dealt with.

Now she can keep her life, be free from any restrictions, and open a mechanical shop in the best place in Beloberg, playing with the things that interest her all day long is not enough.

Is he still determined to use Bronya to take revenge on her?

Just when she recalled the time when she found her and said with such a silly smile that the source of the disaster might be it, Cocolia couldn't help but want to sneer.

People today simply don’t understand and don’t realize that the star core simply fulfills humanity’s wishes.

It saved Beloberg, who was already in dire straits and about to be destroyed by the alien army.

Not only did the remaining people know nothing about this, but they also kept its existence a secret in their subsequent research, and even tried to use "it" to suppress the core of the star... sad and ridiculous.

Just as Cocolia was gradually losing her patience and even wondering whether she should deal with that stupid woman in advance, she heard Bronya's voice.

"Master Guardian, are you listening?"

Cocolia came back to her senses from her inner thoughts. Standing in front of her was her adopted daughter with a hesitant expression. The people around her also looked at her, but when she gave them a cold and stern look, they quickly lowered their heads guiltily.

After believing that she had intimidated this group of villains, Cocolia looked at Bronya calmly, with a hint of majesty in her words.

"I'm listening. Do you have anything else to report?"

"……there is none left."

Perhaps unwilling to argue with her in such an occasion, Bronya, who originally wanted to say something, chose to give in.

This made Cocolia raise her eyebrows slightly in satisfaction and soften her voice.

"Very good. After that, you can return to the front line. With your outstanding command ability, that is where you can show your talents. As for the edge passage, I will make arrangements for the follow-up matters there-"

That's right, just as Bronya is sensible and knows when to advance and retreat, she will also fully consider her daughter's dignity and give her a way out.

As long as she can still obey her orders, she will still be her most beloved daughter.

After that, with just a little advice and some kindness, Bronya would understand how arrogant and ignorant the words that Silva had instigated her to say were, and would return to his arms.

However, this infallible strategy failed the next moment, as Bronya took a step forward and spoke firmly.

"Please allow me to raise a question about this matter!"

"..."

Cocolia's expression immediately darkened.

This act of defying authority immediately made the surroundings quiet, and the atmosphere was so dead silent that one could hear a silver needle falling to the ground.

Both intelligence officer Pella and the civilian city builders looked at the two people in a standoff with astonishment and some surprise.

Bronya could also feel those eyes on her, but more importantly, the disappointment and warning in her mother's eyes made her unable to worry about anything else.

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart pounding, and at the same time, a surge of courage was coursing through her veins.

"I'm not questioning your decision as a guardian. I just don't understand why you changed the commander in the middle of a battle."

As if leaving her past timid self behind, Bronya spoke in a deep voice.

"You have already transferred my men many times without my knowledge, and now you are sending me back to the front without prior notice.

Doing so will not only make it easier for the soldiers to be confused about whose orders to follow, causing rifts to grow, but will also cause great misunderstandings among the other Iron Guards. If this continues—"

"...They are weapons, Commander Bronya. Never let the weapons in your hands control your thoughts. You must remember your identity and mission, and not try to disobey my orders without even understanding your position as commander."

Cocolia's voice, tinged with anger, was like the endless cold wind blowing from the outside world, frightening everyone present.

"Now, I demand that you immediately rush to the front lines and await further instructions. Do you understand? Bronya, acting commander!"

Chapter 46: Undercurrents

"—!"

The atmosphere at the scene fell into dead silence. No one dared to speak and could only lower their heads to look after themselves. The girl, who had mustered up the courage, stared stubbornly at the Great Guardian.

This behavior was interpreted by him as unwillingness, but in the hall of power, there must be only one person who has the greatest say.

At least, while she is still in power, the girl should learn to restrain any dissatisfaction she has.

"If you have no objections, please report to the front lines immediately. Commander Bronya, don't make me ask the Iron Guard to help you out."

These were cruel words that trampled upon the girl's self-esteem, and were also an ultimatum issued by the one at the top.

In response, Bronya simply pursed her lips and replied in a voice that was almost forced out, "I know."

Then, she walked out of the hall without looking back, without even saying goodbye.