The fat man felt extremely aggrieved in his heart.



He was crying his eyes out.



This was no way to live.



When the battle started, he was not allowed to leave. When he was finally allowed to go, he couldn't. In the end, after showing them the way to survive, he was still abandoned here. Although he was crying, Yuri was not stupid. He picked up his gun, turned around, and ran straight into the depths of the jungle. His agile movements were like those of a fat rabbit.



As long as these Imperial mechas didn't enter the jungle, the fat man had an 80 - percent chance of escaping and getting back. If these mechas followed the federal mechas to chase after them, that would be even better.



The fat man could run across the open area at the fastest speed. As long as he could plunge into the not - so - turbulent Supengman River, with his body fat and his first - place ranking in the armed - swimming test in the whole battalion, the fat man could easily get back to the camp. He could eat several large pieces of roast meat, drink a cup of hot chocolate or tea, and if he was lucky, he might even find some wine.



Yuri quickly shook his head to get these stupid ideas out of his mind. At this time when he was tired, hungry, and sad, thinking about these things undoubtedly made the fat man feel very frustrated.



He must first find a hiding place. If those heavy - duty mechas didn't pursue northward after arriving at the battlefield but instead gathered the scattered individual mechas on the spot, this forest would undoubtedly become their camp.



The fat man could almost imagine himself being caught, stripped naked like a white sheep, and hung on a tree, being whipped on his fat by someone.



It was really too miserable.



He slightly identified the direction and ran all the way. To increase his chances of survival, he had to get a few tools.



The former camp of the federal armored troops was not far away in this forest. The fat man soon arrived at the camp. After rummaging through boxes and cabinets, he found a few single - soldier grenades, a large piece of compressed solid - state energy block, and a replaced energy - based machine gun.



Most importantly, he found an automatic mechanical arm used by mechanical maintenance soldiers. With it, the fat man could assemble all kinds of strange vehicles with any parts he could find in the shortest time. In fifteen of his previous twenty escapes, he had escaped in this way. This time, the supplies seemed to be much more abundant than before.



But the weight of these things was not something the fat man could carry by himself. He quickly dug a hole with the mechanical arm used for maintenance, buried all the things except the grenades in batches, and then, without hesitation, the fat man set a fire, got up, and ran.



When the ammunition sympathetically detonated due to the fire according to the sequence arranged by Yuri, this poor and lonely mechanical maintenance soldier had already reached a stinking mud pond in the middle of the forest.



It only took him a few minutes to bury himself completely in it, leaving only a hollow pipe leading to the grass beside the mud pond. To avoid infrared and biological - radar detection, relying solely on this anti - detection combat suit was not enough. The fat man reduced his breathing and heartbeat to a dangerous level.



This was one of the strange skills taught by that bear - like instructor in the reconnaissance training camp.



Yuri had an extraordinary talent for these strange skills. He had always thought that if he could stay like this until the end of the war, he wouldn't mind burying himself even deeper.



As the fat man expected, the Imperial mecha squad outside the forest.

They didn't continue to pursue but instead contacted the scattered individual mechas around and began to gather their troops. According to their combat plan, this place would become a forward base for their attack on New Rome City. This meant that if the fat man wanted to climb out of the mud pond after they left, he might as well carve another tombstone for himself directly.



The poor Yuri didn't know this. Once he relaxed, tiredness hit him like a tide, and he soon fell asleep in the mud pond.



At this time, the command of the Lerle Federation was in chaos.



Phone calls rang out one after another. The central computer was processing tens of thousands of front - line information. The combat staff officers looked ashen - faced as they input one piece of war information after another into the virtual sand table.



The Milock planet hovering above the hall was full of holes. The red color symbolizing the Imperial Army was spreading on this virtual planet image at an astonishing speed. More than forty out of the sixty - odd immigrant cities had been surrounded. Sixteen of them had been captured, and one city had completely turned gray - black, which was the sign of being completely destroyed.



And the federal ground defense forces, with their air power almost completely wiped out, were in a situation of fighting on their own.



Large chunks of virtual icons symbolizing the federal troops were being divided by the red Imperial Army and disappearing rapidly.



In the commander - in - chief's office, General Mikhailovich, who was in charge of the command, was reporting the war situation to the president who had come to the command in person.



"So far, the Federation has completely lost control of five immigrant planets. The 11th and 12th space forces stationed in the Galileo galaxy have been almost completely wiped out.



Only one 'Orion - class battleship, a few light cruisers, and a Titan - class aircraft carrier that survived because of the duty rotation could escape.



The Milock local fleet stationed in the Newton galaxy, due to the overwhelming disparity in strength with the enemy, after losing 50 percent of its warships, with the consent of the command, has withdrawn from the Atlantis Star - Region."



General Mikhailovich's voice was a bit hoarse. It had been half a year since the Gachalin Empire launched a war without a declaration. Due to the serious lack of war preparation in the Federation for a long time, until now, it had been unable to organize sufficient defense forces, let alone launch a counterattack.



The Lerle Federation, which had three star - regions and eight galaxies, was facing the most severe test in history.



Facing the Gachalin Empire, which was fully militarily prepared, the military strength of the Lerle Federation had always been at a disadvantage. Moreover, the dovish parties that dominated the government and the parliament were too lax in their vigilance against the Gachalin imperial family with a history of aggression and a certain bloodline. Several military budget increase proposals by the military department had been rejected.



Lack of funds, obsolete warships, and insufficient training.



What made Mikhailovich even more helpless was that a large number of academic - style commanders in the military had never experienced the baptism of war. The Lerle Federation had been at peace for too long.



In this heroic nation born three hundred years ago, the brilliant generals in the War of Independence had become names in history textbooks and sculptures on the lawns of military academies.



Now the Lerle Federation needed time. The national general mobilization order had been issued. Factories and shipyards were also working at full capacity to build new mechas and warships. Batch after batch of new recruits were continuously entering the military camps for training. And would time bring the dawn of victory to Lerle?



"The First Space Combined Army Group, composed of the 4th, 6th, and 7th space fleets, has assembled in the Lerle Central Star - Region. Since the space jump point has been blocked by the space fleets of the Gachalin Empire, it is impossible to forcibly jump to reinforce the Newton galaxy. Therefore, the command has issued an order to blockade the jump point between Lerle and the Atlantis Star - Region, and the First Combined Army Group will conduct local defense."



Seeing that President Hamilton, who was holding a teacup and frowning, didn't show any reaction, Mikhailovich continued, "The 1st, 2nd, and 8th space fleets transferred from the Bermuda Star - Region are assembling in the rear. The maintenance of warships and the replenishment of ammunition personnel will take some time. The 3rd and 9th space fleets have already set out as ordered, detouring through the public star - region to find a new jump point leading to the Atlantis Star - Region. The 5th and 10th space fleets are still responsible for safeguarding the security of the capital main star."



"All local fleets have begun a comprehensive reorganization. After being supplemented with warships and personnel, it is expected that five to six combined fleets can be expanded."



Finally, President Hamilton put down the teacup in his hand, waved his hand, and said, "Tell me about your difficulties. What do you need me to do? As long as it is what the military department needs, I will support unconditionally."



After a pause, the president continued, "The current domestic situation is very unstable. Five immigrant planets, nearly three hundred cities, and hundreds of millions of people have been lost just like that. The public's call for a counter - attack is very high. The opposition parties are also adding fuel to the fire. If Milock planet is lost again, we will be completely passive, and there will be no forward base for a strategic counter - attack."



Seeing that Mikhailovich was about to speak, the president waved his hand to stop him, stood up, and walked to the window. With his back to the general, he said, "I know what you want to say, but we have no retreat.



 If we can't keep Milock planet, I will be the first president in the history of the Federation to resign due to taking the blame, and you will be the first general to be removed from office. Without sacrifice, there is no victory. Even if it is a gamble, we can only fight to the death and take this risk."



Turning around, the president signaled his secretary to hand a document to Mikhailovich and then said, "This is all the strength that the Federation can accumulate within three months of the national general mobilization.



 I believe that as long as we can hold on for these three months, we can enter a strategic balance. Relying on our nearly double - the - amount - of - resources and production capacity compared to the Gachalin Empire, we can launch a full - scale counter - attack within a year."



"Without sacrifice, there is no victory." Mikhailovich repeatedly chewed on this sentence.



"Even if there is only one city, one armed force left, we will resist to the end. Milock planet must not completely fall into the hands of Gachalin. The public needs victory, so we will give them victory. Public opinion needs heroes, so we will give them heroes."



The president's eyes were far calmer than his tone: "Seize the jump point, quickly send reinforcements to Milock, unify the ground resistance forces, create federal heroes, and strive for local victories. Do you understand what I mean?"



Mikhailovich nodded heavily. He suddenly found that he was no longer a pure military man. He considered more about political needs than military ones.



"Hopefully, all the choices we have made are correct."



Looking at the president's back as he strode away, the general thought silently in his heart.