"Major General, you're here so early again today?" Shan Ni'er stood at the door, noticing that Gu Sijiu had arrived half an hour early at the military base, which felt a bit unusual. For the past few days, the Major General had been coming in early every day. Aside from managing military affairs, she also spent her free time training new recruits and adjusting mechs. Gu Sijiu had always been the type to just pass the time in the military, so her sudden diligence raised some eyebrows.
"Yes, there have been quite a lot of things recently, and since I didn't have much to do at home, I decided to come early." Gu Sijiu replied softly, her words somewhat absent-minded. Shan Ni'er noticed that the Major General had been in a bad mood these past few days and could guess it was probably due to some conflict with the Young Madam. As long as they didn't argue, the Major General wouldn't come to the camp this early, right?
In the mornings, the military typically focused on equipment maintenance and counting personnel, which was also Gu Sijiu's most leisurely time of day. She stood by the window, watching Bai Wei and Shan Ni'er outside practicing with the soldiers. She picked up the nutrient supplement in her hand but slowly put it down again. Despite not having eaten anything since morning, she couldn't summon any appetite.
With a sigh, Gu Sijiu hesitated before opening the nutrient supplement. Just then, the warning lights suddenly flashed on, the red light making her eyes sting. Gu Sijiu knew this indicated an emergency situation and quickly called everyone in the military to assemble and await further instructions.
"Alert: Lingxi Shopping Mall has suffered a terrorist attack. Please proceed to assist immediately." Gu Sijiu didn't expect her first real combat after arriving in this world would come so suddenly. She immediately calmed down, as the military's Major General, she needed to act as the commander and captain. She methodically ordered all team members to change into combat gear and headed to the changing room herself.
By this time, most people in the room had left. Gu Sijiu chose a more secluded corner to remove her clothes. She had to do this out of necessity, as the original host's body had some flaws. Although a female Alpha's anatomy wasn't as prominent as a man's, it was still noticeable whether or not one had certain features.
Lowering her head, Gu Sijiu looked at the pink lace panties she was wearing. If someone saw this, they would undoubtedly uncover the original owner's hidden secret. Hastily putting on her pants, a figure flashed past outside. Gu Sijiu didn't know who it was lingering at this time and went to check, only to find Bai Wei and Shan Ni'er walking in from outside together.
"Major General, the formation is starting. Why are you still here?"
"Nothing much, just got held up by something earlier. Did either of you see anyone walk by just now?"
"We didn't see anyone else, is there a problem?"
Upon hearing Gu Sijiu's question, Bai Wei and Shan Ni'er glanced at each other and both said they hadn't seen anyone else pass by. Gu Sijiu thought it might have been her imagination, so she changed into her clothes and walked outside. Everyone had already changed into their combat gear at this moment, ready to depart at any time. A huge holographic screen appeared in front of them, projecting the scene of Lingxi Shopping Mall.
"Lingxi Shopping Mall is under a terrorist attack, enemy mech models unknown, estimated enemy numbers around 20. Please proceed to support immediately, with the protection of ordinary citizens as the top priority." After the mission instructions were given, Gu Sijiu became the team leader. The entire military force consisted of over 50 people, she left some behind to guard the base and took the remaining 30 with her into battle.
Sitting in the mech, Gu Sijiu and her team quickly arrived at Lingxi Mall. She and Song Jinzhi had been here many times before, but this time, the mall no longer bore its familiar appearance. Buildings lay in ruins, with many people trapped under the debris calling for help. Gu Sijiu took a deep breath as she gazed at the enemies operating mechs on the other side.
"Split the 30 people into 5 teams. Teams 4 and 5 will focus on evacuating and rescuing civilians, Team 3 will provide support, and Teams 1 and 2 will engage in combat with me." Gu Sijiu instructed quietly. This was her first time participating in real combat, and she found her mind to be clear and flexible. Her primary goal was to save lives, and only after that would she focus on repelling the enemy. Since the enemy's mech models and weaponry were unknown, they couldn't afford to confront them head-on.
"We want money. As long as you give us enough money, we can call off this attack." Seeing the military reinforcements arrive, the enemy controlling the mech suddenly spoke up. Gu Sijiu couldn't be bothered to respond, she simply pulled out her weapon and fired a shot directly at the man's head. Clearly taken by surprise, the enemy did not expect Gu Sijiu to forgo negotiations and launch an attack. The enemy mechs quickly rallied, ready for battle.
"Form up, watch for incoming attacks, and switch to full offensive mode." Gu Sijiu calmly organized the situation. She realized that, at that moment, she didn't feel much fear. She knew this wasn't a drill, she was responsible for the lives of many people, and the more serious it was, the less she could afford to panic. Her training began to pay off, she found that her connection with the mech was remarkably close. Indeed, her mental strength allowed her to control the mech even better.
"Major General, be careful!" Gu Sijiu dodged a cannon blast but was hit in the back by a rock. The impact of the stone on the mech made Gu Sijiu feel like her back had been forcefully struck. She understood this was a consequence of the mental connection. The control of the mech and her mental strength were intertwined, so the sensation of pain was transmitted as well.
"I know. Keep going, their numbers are few. Leave some alive, but disable their mechs." Gu Sijiu commanded, coordinating with Shan Ni'er to advance. There were only a few enemy mechs left, and they seemed to be preparing to retreat. However, instead of leaving, they were drawing Gu Sijiu's team into a confrontation. Gu Sijiu had a vague feeling that something was amiss. She realized they had been led to an open space, and her sense of unease was growing.
"All personnel, fall back. The enemy has been pushed back, there's no need to pursue. Retreat immediately." Upon hearing this command, many people were skeptical. Generally, in such advantageous situations, most would choose to crush the enemy rather than simply retreat. Many scoffed at Gu Sijiu's order, mocking her for not having been on the battlefield before.
Seeing that her teammates were ignoring her, Gu Sijiu frowned and issued the retreat order again. Some left out of respect for Gu Nancheng, but others refused to comply. Frustrated, Gu Sijiu chased after them, trying to stop them. Just then, a scream rang out. Gu Sijiu looked up to see a massive spear piercing one of the mechs. The spear was electrified and instantly cut off the mech's power, rendering it immobile.
Gu Sijiu's heart sank, they had indeed fallen into a trap. Suddenly, the enemy, who had only a few members left, was reinforced by dozens more and surrounded them completely. "Enemy reinforcements have arrived! Retreat quickly!" Gu Sijiu raised her voice, issuing another command. This time, her teammates finally obeyed and began to leave quickly. However, escaping was no longer as simple as it had been.
Teammates were getting injured one after another, and Gu Sijiu's own injuries were increasing in number. She glanced down at her legs, despite not being visibly injured, they hurt so much that she didn't dare to move. It was clear that something was wrong with the mech's legs, causing her speed to decrease. As she manipulated the joystick in front of her, the mech suddenly malfunctioned.
Cold sweat trickled down Gu Sijiu's forehead as she bit her lower lip. Just as she was about to urgently disengage, a white light suddenly flashed across her vision, followed by a loud bang. The mech was entangled on the ground by black iron chains resembling a spider's web, rendering it immobile. The electrical current from the web cut off all functions of the mech, leaving it powerless.
Gu Sijiu gasped for breath, unable to move as debris rained down on her. Through the haze, she saw a shadow approaching her. The figure held a massive spear in hand, and Gu Sijiu struggled to lift her body, but the weight of the mech and the falling rocks pressed down on her, making it impossible to move.
"Gu Nancheng's daughter, die!" The enemy mech operator suddenly shouted. Gu Sijiu's eyes widened in shock. She watched as the enormous spear lunged downward, longer and sharper than before, piercing the mech and driving into her abdomen. The taste of blo.od filled the cockpit, and Gu Sijiu coughed up a mouthful of blo.od. She hadn't expected the enemy to know her identity. Who was this person... and why did they want to kill her? Was it the mech that was hit, or her own body?
In a daze, Gu Sijiu reached out with trembling hands, feeling the stabbing pain in her abdomen. The vivid sight of blo.od flashed before her eyes. She saw another long spear in the mech's hand, this time aiming directly at her head. Gu Sijiu felt the fear of death for the first time. Although she had died once before coming to this world, the fear of death was now amplified countless times in this moment.
Was she going to die again? But... wouldn't it be too pathetic to die so easily? Was she really going to sacrifice herself in her first real battle? She hadn't even had the chance to say anything to Song Jinzhi. Gu Sijiu's mind raced rapidly, and she struggled to maneuver the mech's joystick, discovering that there was still a flicker of movement left.
She accessed the emergency weapon compartment and, at the critical moment when the enemy thought victory was assured, she suddenly raised the quantum cannon, aimed at the opponent's head, and with her last ounce of strength, pulled the trigger. The pressure from the quantum cannon was intense, and in the blink of an eye, the enemy mech was blasted away. This act also caused the building where Gu Sijiu was situated to collapse entirely, with massive rocks falling down, the thunderous impact making Gu Sijiu's eardrums ache. Half-closing her eyes, she looked at the immobilized opponent, and suddenly a smile crossed her face.
"After struggling so hard to live again, how could I die so easily? I... I won." Gu Sijiu uttered these words weakly before lying back, exhausted. The bright red blo.od ran down her forehead, staining half of her face. She stared blankly at the dark cockpit, feeling like she had forgotten something. Gu Sijiu tried to move her body but realized she couldn't budge. The long spear through her abdomen and the mech pinned her to the ground. Gu Sijiu lacked the courage for self-harm and certainly couldn't bear the pain of pulling out the spear. Pain was what she feared the most.
Gu Sijiu struggled to open her holographic wristwatch and activated the communicator, discovering a faint signal. Her eyes, unfocused due to excessive blo.od loss, suddenly lit up. With her shaking hands, she tried to find Song Jinzhi's name on the device, but her hands were covered in blo.od, making it difficult to identify. After wiping her hands on her body, she finally found Song Jinzhi's name and didn't hesitate to make the call.
Song Jinzhi was in a meeting when the communicator's light flashed. She initially hesitated to answer but, seeing that the caller was Gu Sijiu, she felt a twinge of uncertainty. She knew Gu Sijiu had deliberately avoided talking to her these past few days, and it seemed that Gu Sijiu had noticed her own distance, choosing to handle their relationship in the same way. Contacting her out of the blue meant something must be up.
"Sorry, I need to step out for a moment." Song Jinzhi said as she left the meeting room and found a relatively quiet spot to answer. On the other end, there was only heavy breathing at first. "Gu Sijiu, what's wrong?" she asked, confused by Gu Sijiu's silence.
"Song Jinzhi, you wooden-faced, scu.m woman. You lead me on, flirt with me, and then refuse to marry me. Do you even realize you're asking for a beating? So passionate during your heat, but once you're off the bed, you act like a stranger and go missing, as if I'm utterly dependent on you. Listen up, I'm not your personal massage tool. I have no obligation to serve you, you scum.bag. Next time you're in heat, go ahead and take a dozen or twenty suppressants by yourself."
Song Jinzhi was taken aback, she hadn't expected Gu Sijiu to call just to scold her. The chaotic words and unfamiliar terms left her bewildered, and being called a scumbag made her uncomfortable. Frowning, she was about to respond when Gu Sijiu abruptly cut off the call. Confused and irritated, Song Jinzhi felt as if Gu Sijiu had gone mad and uncomfortably dialed her back.
In the pitch-black cockpit, the only light source was the flickering communicator. Looking at Song Jinzhi's name on the screen, Gu Sijiu slowly placed the communicator against her chest.
I don't hate you, Jinzhi.
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