Counterfeit Hero

At this moment, Risters Base fell into extreme chaos.

A large number of soldiers rushed out of the barracks in panic and gathered in the open space, looking around blankly along with the junior officers who led them. On the tarmac, the mechas started up one after another, making the sound of metal friction as the machines stretched. However, they also did not receive instructions. The fighter plane scrambled into the air from the concealed ejection port and hovered in the sky. The pilot listened to the chaotic communications and looked at the empty radar, feeling at a loss.

There are no large-scale invasions of enemies. Nothing. Is this just an exercise?

Everything seemed so weird.

Stephen's body has been carried into the small building.

The Duke stood quietly in front of the window of the small building, with his back to his nephew's body, looking out the window at the chaos in the base, as if he suddenly aged ten years.

He couldn't believe that someone actually assassinated Stephen at this time and place! He also couldn't believe that the situation could deteriorate so quickly. Everything is like a dream. How he wished that time could go back to before Stephen walked out of the small building.

Who ordered the alarm to sound? Twenty-one senior generals, except for the seven absolute direct descendants of the Howard family in front of him, where were the other fourteen?

The Duke's head felt dizzy. You need to hold the window sill firmly with both hands to keep your body balanced. He understood very well that when a tree falls, the hozen will scatter. Which of these aristocrats with their own ulterior motives is not someone who raises his eyebrows and wallows in conspiracies and contingencies. Seeing Stephen being sniped in broad daylight, they naturally made their choice as quickly as possible.

Add error. Has there been a change now? Have the troops lined up with factions on the front line received orders from their respective masters and started to fight passively to preserve their strength? At this time, who is willing to waste the force in his hands unreservedly on making mistakes?

In order to solve the issue of the use of troops in defensive warfare, the major nobles have been secretly making waves for more than a day or two. With Stephen here, coupled with Howard's power, he can pull the left and right blocks to play with the balance, and he can put the troops controlled by these nobles into the army bit by bit.

Although the hearts of these nobles were bleeding with pain, they were helpless!

As the apparent only heir to the Morton family. Stephen is the banner of the entire Gacharin old power system. It is the only link that maintains this disunited group. What he represents is the entire ruling class!

The Gacharin royal family has ruled Gacharin for hundreds of years and has been striving to use various means to tightly unite this class of people, mainly Vibos and ultra-nationalists, around themselves. Whether it is education, economics, politics, or military. Almost all policies serve the interests of this class and the stability of the royal family.

Every Gacharin ruler understands that without the foundation of his rule and the support of stakeholders, he cannot have absolute power. Therefore, the Gacharin aristocracy controls more than 60% of the country's wealth, the Gacharin Vibo clan. He is above many races and enjoys special rights.

It is this class that supports Gacharin's traditional ruling power. Let the Morton family stand for hundreds of years, let resistance be suppressed time and time again, let Gacharin's traditional forces still gather into the largest armed group after coups, defeats, and the emperor's capture, and still control the country's economy and Military pulse.

Especially the young people in this class are unswervingly determined. They had no choice. The education and rights they received had already tied them to the Morton family's chariot. They cannot make this country democratic and let other ethnic groups lead them.

But now, Stephen is dead. In full view of everyone, half of his skull was ripped off with a single shot. The Vibo people loyal to the Gacharin royal family, at this moment. Lost their allegiance. Stephen died. in the minds of these people. It is tantamount to the collapse of the last pillar of the entire empire.

Without Stephen, there is no remaining royal power that has ruled this country for hundreds of years. No matter how much the nobles try. The disintegration of this class is also imminent. Although the Howard family is married to the royal family, they are not the royal family after all. And there are six such families in Gacharin!

At this time, if the nobles do not consider the interests of their own family, do not retain their strength for the future, and do not leave themselves any capital to join other forces, they will not be Gacharin nobles.

They may sacrifice for the royal family, but they will never sacrifice for the Howard family! The education they received since childhood and the undercurrents in the aristocratic circle have already taught these nobles how to survive in this world that is noble and civilized on the outside but dripping with blood on the inside. Which noble family exists and grows without politely stepping on the bones of others?

"Father." Stephen's cousin Rhett, the Duke's eldest son, walked in, holding the latest battle report in his hand: "As you expected, the 132nd Infantry Division was added to the wrong front line and retreated first, taking away the pressure from the defense. They were all handed over to the 49th Division. Troops from several other families also took similar actions."

"Who on earth..." The Duke slowly turned his head, his voice calm and cold: "Killed Stephen. Betrayed us?"

Seeing the sharp gaze in the Duke's slender eyes, all the generals present were shocked in their hearts! There is a profound meaning in the Duke's words. The Howard family is able to call the shots in Gacharin, and this old man's terrifying skills are the main reason why.

This sentence represents a reason. A reason to settle scores and eliminate dissidents! This old man didn't seem to take the current crisis seriously. His eyes were already focused on the future.

"Did you catch the sniper?" The Duke slowly walked up to Stephen and stared at the pale face.

"Two infantry regiments have been dispatched to conduct a dragnet search." Rhett said: "The sniper has determined the suspicious location, and mechas have also been dispatched to pursue it. He can't escape!"

The Duke nodded and sighed: "Now, everyone's eyes are focused on our Howard family. This battle... we cannot afford to lose. The dead are gone, but we are still alive after all. The Howard family is determined to He won't just fall down like this." He turned around and faced the generals: "Since they are all looking at us, we must

Survival, it’s time to play the cards in your hand at once! "

"At this moment, if the Howard family still wants to preserve its strength, it will just end in ruins. The Duke sees this very clearly.

The power held by the Thirty-ninth Division and the Howard family. It’s time to jump in and add bugs. Once the battle situation is stabilized, the nobles who are waiting and watching will naturally make a choice. Although the Howard family's losses will be greater, as long as this battle is won, there will be many opportunities in the future!

"Have all the military doctors at the base gathered together?" the Duke turned to Rhett and asked.

"Yes. Father." Rhett said: "Following your instructions, all medical personnel have been centralized and monitored at the first time." After hearing such a conversation, several generals looked at each other, not knowing that the Duke had taken the doctor Why are they locked up?

"How is His Highness's situation now?" The Duke suddenly asked, looking at the generals with bright eyes.

The generals were stunned by this sudden and strange question, and were completely unable to understand the Duke's jumping thinking. After looking at each other, a quick-reacting lieutenant general had an idea. He said respectfully: "The doctors are rescuing His Highness Stephen."

The Duke nodded: "Announce the news of His Highness Stephen's assassination and tell everyone that His Highness is rescuing him. As long as the soldiers are not sure that His Highness is dead, we still have a chance! Remember, His Highness is not dead! Before the end of this battle, this is Even you can’t question the truth!”

After saying that, the Duke never looked at Stephen again, turned around and strode towards the door: "Assemble the team. I want to give a speech to the Thirty-ninth Division in person!"

***************

Five Independence Army soldiers bent over and ran along the ruins on the right side of Third Street in Gatso City. To the east, the enemy's energy machine guns roared nonstop. The energy bombs were densely swept on the ruins, making a swishing sound and raising a small cloud of dust.

"Boom!" At the intersection in the distance, an energy cannon blasted a big hole in the road. Throwing concrete blocks. It fell overwhelmingly. It hit like hailstones on two Feiyang mechas behind a bombed-out building. Ping-pong sound.

"Pfft!" the leading corporal spat and stopped beside a large concrete wall. With his hidden gestures. One by one, the soldiers huddled behind him. A soldier slowly poked his head out to see what was going on on the other side of the wall, but was grabbed down by the corporal and cursed: "Idiot, do you want your fucking life?"

The soldier put the gun across his thigh, supported the protective helmet hanging crookedly on the wall, and squatted down to lean against the wall. He muttered: "Sooner or later, you will die."

"Stop fucking talking nonsense!" the corporal said angrily while carefully observing the impact point of the machine gun bullets: "If you want to die, the supporting team must come up! By then, even if you die ten fucking times, I won't stop you. .

"Come up?" The soldier didn't dare to reply, but glared at another soldier beside him who was snickering, and whispered: "A whole battalion plus three mechas, there are only a few of us left now, wait for the people behind to come up , I’m already over the top seven!”

"What are you talking about?" The corporal glanced back, listened for a long time, and said in confusion: "Why is the voice from the other side getting quieter and quieter?"

"Stephen is dead!" At the end of the line, a soldier carrying a communicator and headphones suddenly shouted.

"What?" Everyone, including the corporal, stared at the signal soldier in shock.

"Stephen is dead!" The soldier stared straight at everyone, with a particularly bright light in his eyes: "Skynet has taken the picture, and he was shot in the head by the fat commander of the 19th Division! Now, this The picture has been sent to all the mechas, our group, the leader personally announced the news!"

"One shot to the head?" The corporal and several soldiers looked at each other: "One is to the east and the other is to the west. These eight damn poles can't hit each other together!"

"The fat man parachuted to the southeast of Gacuo and sneaked in through the defense line!" The soldier carrying a communicator listened and said incoherently with excitement: "He's not a fucking human anymore. One person has a gun, and he runs away. After traveling more than two hundred kilometers, I killed Stephen when I entered!"

There was dead silence. The corporal shook his head, as if he was trying his best to digest this fantastic news. Suddenly, his eyes froze.

To the west and south, infantrymen wearing independent army uniforms, first one or two, then one or two teams, looked like a movie theater ending. More and more towards the end. The swarm, led by dozens of mechas, rolled towards this side.

In the distance, a loud charge sounded, resounding throughout the world.

*************

Group after group of soldiers from the Stephen Group, urged by the officers, climbed every hilltop around the Christels base. They hunched over and formed a skirmish line, carefully searching every jungle, every hillside, and every bush.

Hundreds of mechas participated in this search.

It is different from the infantry who repeatedly comb the search area. Except for a few mecha squads, which were scattered in every area of ​​the mountainous area as planned to conduct fixed-point blockades. The other mecha warriors spread out in a radial pattern at high speed. Use the speed of the mecha to prevent the target from escaping.

Viewed from the air, the densely packed infantry and mechas crossing the mountains formed an overwhelming fish net!

The death order has been issued from above. If you can't catch anyone for a day, search for a day; if you can't catch anyone for a year, search for a year!

The soldiers were a little depressed: who were the searching snipers? What kind of clothes were they wearing? Did they sneak in from outside, or were they simply someone from this base? I don’t even know the physical characteristics. What’s the use of searching up the mountain?

Everyone’s thoughts are not on the search. There was only one question secretly passed between them: "Stephen, are you dead?".