Chapter 40: The Turning Point of History

Well, just as in my memories, the senior is still her usual self. Her toned, tall frame is wrapped in a form-fitting naval uniform, and she stands there quietly with her arms crossed, as beautiful as an elegant marble statue.

Of course, this is all just an appearance.

Yu Lian remembers the first time he met this breathtakingly dashing senior: it was in the combat training arena. She had performed a shoulder throw on a senior from the Marine Command department who weighed twice as much as she did, sending him flying until he landed right in front of Yu Lian, leaving him staring in utter shock.

"What is it? I can do that too, you know," the childhood friend beside him had remarked with a huff.

Ah, the rose-colored days of youth, truly as swift as a shuttle…

The senior’s gaze swept across Yu Lian’s face with lightning speed. A flash of surprise and relief crossed her expression, but she addressed Captain Winter first: "Captain, thank you for your hard work. Can you now report your unit's combat strength and position?"

"The 127 mobile infantrymen of the 101st Company have arrived in full, though we have brought no vehicles," the Captain replied. "As for our position..." He looked toward Yu Lian, who quickly opened the holographic map on his terminal and pointed to the canyon where they were currently located.

"This is effectively behind the enemy’s main camp. According to my observations, it is about 50 kilometers from the Sand People’s command headquarters—the location of Elder Herson." Yu Lian pointed to a specific spot amidst the dense cluster of enemy encampments, and a red dot appeared there.

"You have already identified the enemy’s command headquarters?" Eleanor raised her eyebrows, which were as sharp and graceful as a rapier.

"Yes, it is right here."

"How can you be certain?"

"During these past few days of lurking, Sergeant Silica and I spent at least ten hours a day observing. Based on the banners and the size of the camps, we have gained a general understanding of where each tribe and city-state force is stationed. I will send this information to everyone’s terminals shortly. Yesterday, before the Sand People attacked Tulong, dozens of riders carrying colorful command banners departed from this location, racing toward the major camps. These are the Sand People’s messengers."

These so-called command banners are actually stone objects similar to totem poles. This planet lacks trees and vegetation, at least it did before humans arrived to colonize it. Thus, the Sand People, skilled at manipulating mud and stone, fashioned these sand-and-stone rods into various shapes and colors to serve as signaling devices.

It must be noted that these totem poles are quite rustic and elegant, essentially works of art, and they are still highly sought after in the galaxy’s international collectibles market.

It must also be noted that although the Sand People have armor, firearms, and even tanks and artillery provided by their collaborators, the habits of a cold-weapon army are not easily changed. One must understand that in the era of cold steel, the messenger rider, darting across the battlefield through a hail of gunfire, is a highly respected and romanticized profession. How could they just cancel it? To replace them with a bunch of people shouting into machines—where would that leave the dignity and honor of the Sand People’s warriors?

There is no helping it; weapons can be bought, but the organizational core of an army is a complex and grand system engineering project that cannot be accomplished in a day or two.

Eleanor nodded, finding the logic sound, but she looked at Yu Lian with an inscrutable gaze, then glanced with interest at Ina, who was biting her lower lip. "I need your guarantee!"

"I swear by the Blue Star emblem, I am willing to take responsibility for everything I have said! Furthermore, the psionic fluctuations are most evident there. As everyone knows, Herson himself is a Third-Ring 'Wizard,' and among his disciples are several carefully selected sensitives and even awakened ones. This must be his location!"

That Herson has opened the "Control" star ring and reached the Third-Ring "Wizard" level is no secret. The Governor’s Office database contains detailed records accessible to any officer. It is just that this spiritual leader of the Sand People has always acted quite submissively, so few people have bothered to read them carefully.

"You have done your homework; this is the true style of us Lunarians... Wait, psionic fluctuations?" Eleanor was about to offer a compliment when she realized something was amiss.

"Ah... just so you know, I have awakened psionic powers, as has Sergeant Silica. Furthermore, she is a Sentinel with exceptional senses. That is why we can detect the fluctuations of the opponent's psionic energy."

Of course, because Herson is currently a "Wizard," as the name implies, his spiritual abilities are diverse psionic arts. He excels at taking on a hundred foes at once, summoning wind and rain, or gathering fire with lightning; his presence is overwhelming. Perhaps because he is *too* present, psionicists of this path are not very good at concealment until they reach the Fifth Ring.

Senior Eleanor’s expression stiffened, which was understandable. After all, having two psionicists emerge from a station of only a few dozen soldiers is about as likely as digging up two raw gold nuggets in one's backyard garden.

"The feng shui of your outpost must be truly excellent!" Lieutenant Parkin’s eyes widened as he touched the large collection of Taiji diagrams, Buddha statues, crucifixes, crescent pendants, and Hexagram charms hanging on his chest; he was genuinely envious.

Captain Winter was not exactly calm either. This young man is both a Lunarian and a psionicist; his future is truly limitless. He really shouldn't put on airs of superiority in front of him. Thinking about it, he hadn't been rude to him, had he? No, it seemed not.

Eleanor crossed her arms and hummed, though she looked at Yu Lian with a hint of disdain. This made the latter shiver for no apparent reason as he hurriedly moved his finger across the holographic map, pointing to a high point northeast of Tulong, where another red dot appeared.

"Additionally, here, it is 20 kilometers from Archie Heights No. 6."

Eleanor finally dropped the disdain, a look of approval appearing on her face as she nodded slightly. "Very good. It seems you have also observed that the enemy is setting up an artillery position there."

"Yes, it is certain. There are at least ten high-power ion cannons or electromagnetic cannons. This poses a huge threat to the city's shields!"

"However, this is also our opportunity..." Eleanor nodded, contemplating. She looked at Yu Lian first, but then turned to Captain Winter. "Captain, what do you think?"

The elite company commander of the Marine Corps observed the map carefully, especially the environment around Heights No. 6 and the enemy's deployment. He calculated for a moment and said firmly, "We can seize and quickly destroy all the enemy's heavy artillery, then retreat before the main enemy force closes in."

"No, I need you not to destroy the enemy's heavy artillery so quickly. Attract enough enemies to come as reinforcements to create the maximum amount of chaos. Then, I will lead all the soldiers in the city to launch a counterattack and kill Herson. He is the banner of these Sand People; once he falls, these indigenous rabble will naturally collapse. Captain, can this be done?"

Captain Winter’s face darkened as he stared at the map in silence.

Everyone knew what this meant. They were an elite force of only a little over a hundred men. Attacking an artillery position that was bound to be heavily guarded by the enemy was already dangerous enough, let alone trying to attract the Sand People’s reinforcements. If they were not careful, the entire company could be wiped out.

The Captain was theoretically qualified to refuse Eleanor’s order. First, he was Marine Corps, not under the jurisdiction of the New Yumen Garrison Command; second, Eleanor had not received orders from higher-ups and did not have the authority to command all reinforcements or oversee the entire campaign.

Captain Winter looked at Parkin, then at the rest of the company’s officers and senior sergeants. After a moment of silence, he nodded quietly. "We can."

It’s starting, it’s starting! Yu Lian’s expression remained calm, but his heart began to race. He knew this was the beginning of the raid that would later be featured in the textbooks of almost every military academy in the galaxy—the beginning of a legend.

Captain Winter and the soldiers of the 101st Company truly lived up to the motto: as swift as the wind, as silent as a forest, as fierce as fire, and as unshakable as a mountain. They snuck up to the enemy’s artillery position and launched a fierce assault, immediately catching the opposition off guard. The battle was over in just twenty minutes, the defenders were routed, the ten newly installed heavy cannons were destroyed, and a group of Calda goblin engineers was captured in the process.

The subsequent defensive battle, while dangerous, was not catastrophic. The Captain and his men quickly constructed fortifications on the heights and immediately destroyed several of the Sand People’s tanks, dealing a heavy blow to the incoming enemy from their superior position.

On the other side, Senior Eleanor led all the city’s troops in a charge, driving straight into the heart of the Sand People’s main camp and killing the Grand Elder Herson on the spot. His carefully cultivated disciples were almost entirely wiped out. The army of a million scattered like birds and beasts, with many city-state princes kneeling on the spot to beg for mercy.

In the end, the casualties for the 101st Company were less than ten men. In Tulong, there were only about two hundred.

However, there were regrets.

First, Herson’s most prized disciple, the future national hero of the Sand People and the "Father of Independence," Kaz-Khan, escaped. He continued to lead the remnants of the Sand People in resistance and remained a major thorn in the side of the Governor’s Office. Later history proved that he indeed completely buried the Community’s rule on New Yumen.

Second, Senior Eleanor was far too reckless. She was not some high-level psionicist capable of fighting a thousand alone; she was just a pretty, delicate girl who, in a combat class at the military academy, had sent a classmate from the Marine Command department to the infirmary.

Yes, she was not a psionicist, but she insisted on charging at the forefront. While killing Herson with her own hands, she was struck down by the final burst of the psionicist’s energy and spent half a year in the hospital.

Had she remained in command, perhaps this major event would not have ended in such a lackluster fashion.

Thinking of this, Yu Lian spoke up: "Commander, I have a small, somewhat premature suggestion."

Everyone’s eyes turned toward him. It put a little pressure on him, but it also brought a sense of excitement and a soul-deep tremor that were hard to describe.

He knew he was truly standing at the turning point of history.