Darkstone Code-Chapter 896 - 894: Wrapping Up
"The men have already entered the jungle, I can’t see them from the air..."
The pilot’s view was obscured by the ground vegetation, with only occasional glimpses of figures moving through the canopy.
The weather in the North warmed up slower than in the South; the southernmost part of the Federation had fully entered spring, with temperatures at least eighteen to nineteen degrees, but in the southernmost part of Mariluo, it was only a little over ten degrees.
The harsh winter had stripped the trees of dead branches and old leaves, giving the pilot a chance to catch glimpses.
The Senior Soldier aboard the ship looked at the dense jungle not far from the shore, paused for a moment, glanced at the Navy Major General dressed as an ordinary man beside him, and made a decision.
"Force them out."
"Roger that!"
The Beret suddenly looked up at the sky, where the plane, which had been circling at a low altitude, suddenly ascended. Was it leaving?
It’s interesting; from the air, you can barely see anything on the ground, yet from the ground, the plane’s presence is easily noticed.
A smile crept onto his lips; that thing flying in the sky is indeed annoying, but it’s not omnipotent. At least, it has no solution when facing the jungle.
"Pick up the pace, try to reach the rendezvous point quickly."
The group increased their speed, not even bothering to observe the sky for the plane anymore.
While they ignored it, the Navy Major General and the military observers on the cruiser dared not relax a bit, their eyes firmly fixed on the plane in the sky.
They watched as the plane suddenly ascended, circled twice in the air, seemed to find a suitable angle, and then nosedived suddenly.
When it was about fifty to a hundred meters above the ground, a sharp-headed object was suddenly dropped from the middle bottom of the plane’s fuselage.
This object plunged towards the ground without needing much angle adjustment, at which point the plane ascended again.
At that moment, with the violent explosion and debris of grass and dust, everyone knew that the shell had exploded.
The Navy Major General gripped the ship’s railing tightly, his expression incredibly solemn.
He had participated in the naval battle against Gafura, which had promoted him from Navy Captain to the current Navy Major General; he’s well aware of what war needs.
More than those generals in the Ministry of Defense offices, and more than those senators on Congress committees related to the military.
No humanitarian care is needed, no morality or courtesy, and certainly no mercy; what is needed is lethality.
Some believe war is the continuation of politics, a means to achieve political compromise; in politicians’ mouths, this is certainly correct.
But in the eyes of soldiers, war is a military operation executed to kill as many enemies who don’t stand on their side as possible.
Cruel?
Frightening?
No, it’s originally a massacre.
As long as it can kill the enemy and reduce one’s own casualties, even releasing a devil can be acceptable.
At this moment, the plane made a second dive and dropped a bomb; the dive was not only to increase accuracy but also to make it easier for the primer to ignite.
With another loud noise, the trees at the explosion’s center fell in patches; the power of the shell was immense.
Just then, more planes started arriving from behind, with two temporarily equipped with machine guns.
Eight planes continuously circled or dived over the seaside jungle, each dive bringing oppressive noise that left the Beret and his men in the woods scrambling as if poked in the rear.
Those planes blocked their escape route; the only intact path was back to the beach, while all other directions faced bombardment.
It’s a clear hint, suggesting he should return.
Sometimes, people have to face such helpless choices; you don’t want to choose, but fate has already shoved the chosen result into your hands, leaving you no choice.
After attempting a breakthrough and abandoning five of his men’s bodies, the Beret conceded.
The Major General and observers on the ship were still intensely discussing, undoubtedly, the appearance of the plane completely changed their perception of aircraft.
It was no longer seen as a project unworthy of much effort.
Stable takeoffs and landings, simple maintenance, fast and ultra-long range combined with amazing yet precise destructive power, undoubtedly, the emergence of the plane, as Lynch said, will change the face of warfare.
These professional military observers finally drew a conclusion: the Federation must lead the world!
Over ten minutes later, the Beret group staggered out of the jungle, with Darkstone Security personnel already waiting for them on the beach.
The Beret himself was injured; a shell exploded less than fifteen meters from him. He was lucky, most fragments were blocked by a tree nearby, but some still wounded him.
He limped and raised his hands high, slowly kneeling on the beach. There were less than ten of his subordinates left by his side. They placed the plundered goods on the beach as well and mimicked his actions by kneeling there.
By this moment, the battle was nearly over, but the planes in the sky hadn’t completely left because this was within Mariluo’s territory.
Their military strike here hadn’t received the puppet government’s consent in Mariluo, so if anyone wanted to cause trouble, having the planes around served as a warning.
The role of the planes was increasingly significant, and the Major General began discussing with the military observers on how to build a new tactical system.
Here on the beach, a task force captain walked up to the Beret, looking at him disdainfully, "Hand over the yellow envelope Mr. Lynch gave you."
The Beret was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that these people were related to Lynch.
He silently took the item out from his underwear without any resistance. When they saw it was indeed hidden there, the task force members couldn’t help but laugh, but the captain’s face turned grim.
This valuable item should obviously be kept by the captain.
He raised his rifle and hit the Beret on the head with the butt of the gun.
The once-arrogant Beret and his men on the boat, now facing the humiliation of the Federation, didn’t dare to say or do anything.
The captain, with extreme disgust, pinched a corner of the envelope and lifted it, immediately assaulted by a foul stench.
The smell was like... stuffing dead fish and shrimp into an overturned iron barrel during the height of summer, leaving it to bake in the sun for two days.
"Bloody hell!", he quickly pulled out a bag from his pocket, wrapping the envelope in it to make it a bit more bearable.
"Are all the items here?", the captain asked.
The Beret remained silent for a few seconds before nodding.
The captain took two steps back, and this retreating movement made the Beret’s heart tighten. He instinctively wanted to stand up but was a step too late.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted in all directions, and everyone was killed without the ability to resist.
Watching the bodies twitch on the beach, the captain grimaced and said to the others, "Next time, remember to tie both their hands and ankles together. These are armed thugs."
He patted a rookie on the shoulder and then shouted, "Clean up the battlefield, it’s time to go home!"
The soldiers were excited. Initially, they had been told they would be discharged, which made them anxious.
After all, they weren’t prisoners, who at least had learned a survival skill in prison, whereas these soldiers knew nothing.
They only knew how to kill, and unlicensed killing was illegal, leaving them with no means to survive in society.
Their unease and confusion only began to ease when they joined Darkstone Security.
Here, it felt like returning home, with daily training and executing orders, whether it was protecting or killing, it was what they were best at.
Moreover, Darkstone Security paid them well, and those on field work received additional daily allowances, making almost everyone want to go on these missions.
The rookie on the beach, watching the veterans talk about where to vacation after they had just killed some people, couldn’t quite follow their train of thought.
The captain walked over, punched him in the chest, and laughed, "Don’t zone out, take your stuff and resist. You’ll get used to this place..."
He seemed to be talking about the high benefits of Darkstone Security, or maybe...killing?
The rookie wasn’t sure, but he and his partner dragged a heavy bag toward the speedboat, knowing only that he would earn about a thousand dollars for this less-than-two-week mission and at least a week’s paid vacation.
The financial gain washed away the existential confusion after the killing, and he started chatting with his partner about going out to play during the holiday...
Later on, the Senior Soldier called Lynch to inform him that the mission was completed and they were on their way back.
The entire operation was recorded on camera. This was a crucial piece of evidence that could convince the Ministry of Defense, the Military, even the Congress, to place more orders with Lynch and allocate more budget approvals.
By nine the next morning, military representatives and those from the Ministry of Defense appeared outside Lynch’s door.
The ship returned in the middle of the night. The Major General and the observers didn’t delay, and they sent all the information from here through the television network overnight to the Ministry of Defense and all districts of the military.
Ten minutes later, the Ministry of Defense and the generals of the military nearly scheduled a fight over who would get the first pick of the two hundred aircraft, deciding that the winner would choose first.
That is until someone posed a question—
"Why not just order more planes from Lynch?"
"Wouldn’t that solve the problem?"
That’s a damn good idea!
This is also why, early in the morning, representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the military were at Lynch’s door. They were eager to experiment with a real aircraft to determine how to build a new tactical system around it.
Everything was just as Lynch said; it would change warfare!
