Chapter Thirty-Five: The Cycle of History

Five kilometers…
Three kilometers…
With only two kilometers left between the two armies, Wang Yinlong raised his voice and commanded,
“Rest where you are! Prepare to meet the enemy!”
The force of over three hundred thousand soldiers immediately halted and began to rest.
The Space Army had marched tirelessly along the way and was already somewhat fatigued. In contrast, some units of the opposing army had likely arrived much earlier and were now in peak condition.
Wang Yinlong would not let his men fight while the enemy waited comfortably.
More importantly, the Space Army's advantage lay in unity, strong organization, and unwavering faith. The coalition, by comparison, was composed of soldiers from different nations, internally less cohesive.
By refusing to attack and simply standing their ground, the Space Army exerted tremendous psychological pressure on the coalition.
Given enough time, some might see their psychological defenses collapse.
…
“Chen Nian, have you ever commanded a battle like this?”
Taking advantage of the break, Wang Yinlong walked over to Chen Nian.
Chen Nian was silent.
To be honest, he had.
But the metaverse games and the virtual realm were completely different.
In metaverse games, he could command all troops instantly through channels or devices like loudspeakers.
Here, in the virtual realm, even if he shouted himself hoarse, at most only a few hundred or thousand nearby would hear him.
Such command was of little use.
“Commander… the conditions are too crude. Once battle begins, there's no way to direct the troops.
We can only devise strategies before the fighting starts.”
Chen Nian spoke gravely, then after a moment’s thought, continued, “They are a coalition. I doubt they can truly unite.
In close combat like this, if they lose ten or twenty percent, their armies will collapse.
We should try to defeat them piecemeal.”
As he spoke, Chen Nian squatted down and drew a square on the ground, then split it in two.
“If battle erupts, we could prioritize attacking the right side. If we can quickly devastate one country's forces…”
He had not finished when the earth trembled slightly.
Chen Nian raised his head, looking toward the direction of the Mechanical City.
Tens of thousands of coalition soldiers were advancing in large strides toward the Space Army, rapidly changing formation as they moved.
“They don't want to let us rest… and they’re showing their resolve.”
Chen Nian spoke softly.
Neither side had cavalry or ranged troops, so two kilometers was actually a considerable distance.
If infantry charged from that far, they’d be exhausted by the time they engaged, unable to fight effectively.
Thus, the Space Army’s halt at two kilometers was, in theory, a chance for peaceful rest.
But the enemy commanders were clearly no fools.
They adopted a slow advance, conserving energy, while pressing the Space Army.
If the distance shrank to a few hundred meters… they could launch a real charge at any moment.
Moreover, the enemy commanders seemed aware of the coalition’s weaknesses, and were arranging their troops accordingly.
He would likely break up the national units into countless small squads, mixing them together, then gather the elite troops from each nation and place them at the front.
This way, they could avoid being defeated piecemeal, while maintaining some organization.
“Commander, the other side isn’t stupid. It all comes down to courage.”
Chen Nian’s expression was solemn.
“I understand.”
Wang Yinlong stood up abruptly, gazing at the thunderous ranks of the coalition not far away.
The coalition was extremely cautious, resting for five minutes every five hundred meters of advance.
Half an hour later, only six or seven hundred meters separated the two armies.
This time, the coalition did not pause.
Though their pace was slow, they pressed forward relentlessly, exerting immense psychological pressure.
…
Wang Yinlong turned to look behind him, at the Space Army.

He led the Silver Dragon Corps, the elite of the Space Army, positioned at the very front.
The situation was now crystal clear.
He intended to intimidate the enemy with sheer momentum; they intended to do the same to him.
If neither side backed down… it would be a clash of titans.
Heh…
At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the most unforgettable memory from his first entry into the virtual realm.
That year, he had been just an ordinary technical soldier.
…
“Sir! Sir! We’ve detected three nuclear missiles heading toward China!
One is aimed at the Imperial Capital!
One at the Magic City!
And one is coming right for us!
Estimated arrival in ten minutes!”
The young Wang Yinlong’s face turned pale.
Hearing this, Ye Guangyu threw his cap aside, his expression twisted. “Damn! They really dared to use nukes!
Send three right back at them! We’ll go down together if we must!
We were told long ago—if they dare use them, we won’t flinch!”
“Understood!”
After swiftly pressing a series of buttons, three nuclear missiles launched from the base.
The people in the command room gathered, staring blankly at the six slowly moving dots on the radar, minds empty.
Those few minutes were the hardest of his life.
About five minutes passed.
Ye Guangyu suddenly received a call.
“Detonate the nukes now?
Why? Did they back down?”
A melancholic voice came from the phone.
“The man was just assassinated, killed. We’ve decided to each take a step back.”
“What!”
Ye Guangyu was shocked and furious!
He hadn’t expected the man would still die!
Bastards!
Three years since A01’s birth, the world had fought openly and secretly for genetic technology, assassinations and counter-assassinations… tens of thousands had lost their lives.
And finally, they managed to kill the world’s most famous scientist here in China!
Ye Guangyu burned with rage.
To every soldier involved, it was a humiliation.
“What else could we do! Should we drag countless innocent civilians, drag the whole world into destruction?
A nation should not have emotions!”
The voice on the phone rasped.
Ye Guangyu wiped his tears and looked at Wang Yinlong.
“Yinlong, detonate.”
“Understood!”
Wang Yinlong quickly operated the controls.
Seconds later, the six dots vanished almost simultaneously from the screen.
A nuclear war that should have erupted faded into nothing.
Ye Guangyu, eyes full of tears, looked at everyone present and declared, word by word, “Remember this! From now on! We will never bow to any nation! We will never make concessions again!”
…
“Mechanical City, genetic medicines… exploration pressure, technological pressure… history repeats itself, only this time, we are the attackers.”
Wang Yinlong laughed quietly.
This time, he was once again the one at the controls.
Suddenly, he whirled around and shouted hoarsely!

“Brothers!
Do you see the Mechanical City in the distance?
If we don’t take it today, they will establish a stronghold here, perhaps even build a city!
They’ll make this place an iron fortress, gather countless people, and slowly attempt to breach the city’s defenses!
Then, China will face immense pressure to explore!
We’ll fear that, while we still wield cold weapons, they’ll suddenly bring out laser cannons!
While we march on foot, they’ll unveil flying saucers!
If things come to that, the virtual realm will have nothing to do with us!
Even if they can’t break the city quickly, under tremendous pressure, we’ll lose even more lives!
Even if we find similar cities later, we’ll fear being one step behind, fear that all our efforts become someone else’s glory.
But if we seize Mechanical City today!
The pressure will be theirs!
So do you understand!
Today’s battle must be fought!
And it must be won!
The world knows that the Chinese Space Army is the strongest military force!
Because we have advanced technological weapons, robust economic support!
Today, we’ll show the world!
Even if we have nothing!
We remain the world’s strongest army!
Brothers!
Countless people are watching us!
When paths cross, the brave prevail!
No matter their numbers! If we have the faith to win!
We will win!
Our generation’s mission is to defend the honor handed down by our predecessors!
Whoever stands in our way, we will destroy them!”
By now, Wang Yinlong’s voice was already hoarse.
He felt powerless, knowing that even if he gave everything, only a fraction could hear him.
Moreover, with this speech, countless may die today.
“To defend honor!”
Ye Qiang beside him was first to shout.
The slogan spread, until three hundred thousand voices rang out in unison, shaking heaven and earth!
The coalition soldiers, stirred, also began to shout and accelerated their advance!
“Forward!”
Wang Yinlong ordered, Silver Dragon Corps at the vanguard. Fifty meters later, the steps of three hundred thousand were perfectly synchronized, the ground trembling, momentum building.
The gap closed!
One hundred meters!
Fifty meters!
Still, neither side retreated!
Accelerate! Charge!
A vast sea of humanity, finally converging.
…
Wang Yinlong charged forward with the masses, keeping his gaze fixed on the distant Mechanical City.
In that moment, he seemed to see through the void into the outside world, saw the anxious Ye Guangyu.
“Old Ye, if you were in the virtual realm, you would make the same decision, wouldn’t you?
Don’t worry—if we lose this battle, I won’t leave.”