Upon hearing this, Dream Jia pretended not to understand and asked, "So, who exactly destroyed the Mastanian mothership? Could it be that something unexpected happened within their own ranks, causing the turmoil in their army that led to last night's chaos? Aren't there any other reconnaissance teams that have ventured deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence?"
Carl shrugged and replied, "Unfortunately, up to now, no one knows exactly what happened behind the enemy lines last night. Besides Yan and me, no other reconnaissance teams approached that area. Even though our team has extensive experience in battlefield reconnaissance, penetrating deep into the Mastanian rear is still a formidable task. Their warships and large battle formations have far superior sensory capabilities compared to Mastanian infantry. Even if we dug tunnels underground to sneak over, we would be easily detected by their strong anti-submarine detection capabilities."
"So, we can only rely on relatively close observation with limited visual observation equipment near Mastanian large combat units to understand the dynamics behind their lines. Once we get too close to their large combat units, causing those units to join the battle, the consequences would be unimaginable! Ah... don't ask me how I know." At this point, Carl involuntarily loosened his military collar, as if recalling some terrifying scenes.
Seeing this, Dao Lao quickly patted Carl's back to signal him to relax. At the same time, Dao Lao exchanged a quick glance with Haoyun and Dream Jia, indicating that after questioning Carl, he could basically confirm that no one had discovered their whereabouts last night, nor did anyone know that they had destroyed the Mastanian mothership. With this understanding, the three of them no longer needed to worry about their identities being exposed due to their actions last night.
With their main concern resolved, Haoyun timely changed the subject and asked, "By the way, Carl, have you reported back to Delong? With such intense fighting the past two nights, she must have been worried sick about you."
Sure enough, upon hearing this question, Carl immediately replied energetically and, after cautiously checking the surroundings, leaned close to Haoyun's ear and said, "Shh... Haoyun, keep your voice down! Many people in the team are interested in Delong, so don't let them know about me and Delong! Otherwise, I'll definitely be in trouble with them!"
Then, Carl mysteriously informed Haoyun that he had left a mark for Delong. When Delong saw that mark, she would know he was okay. As for where Carl left this mark, he vowed never to tell anyone, even if he were beaten to death.
Seeing Carl desperately hiding his love affair, Haoyun naturally found this young couple's actions both childish and adorable. It's just a love affair! Why act so cautiously, almost like underground workers? However, Haoyun wasn't interested in Carl's little secret. After all, he had only asked to divert Carl's attention from their previous topic.
During the time the four of them were talking, many members of the Skull Special Operations Squad returned one after another to report. However, among the returning crowd, Eva's figure was nowhere to be seen. Therefore, without further instructions from the leader, the members of the squad simply sat down where they were, waiting patiently for Eva and the others to return while taking the opportunity to rest.
"Hey, why isn't the boss back yet? I wonder what mission we'll be sent on this time?" Haoyun, bored, lay on the playground with his head resting on his hand, playing a game of Duziqi with Carl.
"Don't worry, Haoyun! A mission that can mobilize our Skull Special Operations Squad personally will definitely be a very important one! Hey! Another chance to make a big splash! Hope this time I can score more points!" Carl replied, showing a hint of anticipation while answering Haoyun.
Haoyun nodded admiringly at Carl's words. Carl knew very well that the missions assigned to the Skull Special Operations Squad were very dangerous, yet he still showed a strong desire to participate, which indicated that Carl's heart was far from being as weak as it seemed. Instead, he was a brave warrior who was willing to sacrifice his life to resist the invaders. This made Haoyun have to praise Carl's courage and at the same time reaffirmed his determination to protect Carl's life with all his strength in times of danger.
After waiting for about an hour, Eva finally arrived late and met with the team. Haoyun saw that along with Eva, there were Elsie and the other members of the Salvationists.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting! Chief Wang, is everyone here?" As soon as she arrived on the scene, Eva asked with a smile.
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"Reporting, boss! Except for two brothers who were accidentally injured by shrapnel in their legs during last night's reconnaissance mission and cannot participate in this mission, the rest of the brothers are all here!" Dr. Wang replied respectfully.
"Are they badly injured?" Eva asked with concern.
"Reporting, boss! Those two guys are fine. They have received timely treatment at the field hospital. It is said that they will be discharged after lying in bed for a dozen days." Dr. Wang replied.
Upon hearing that the two soldiers were not in danger, Eva breathed a sigh of relief. Then she continued, "After the battle last night, everyone is now continuing to wait here, which is really hard! But there's no other way! Everyone also knows the sudden situation last night. Although the Mastanians withdrew from the battlefield, according to our analysis, they did not intend to completely withdraw from this area. That's why they still have a large number of troops stationed outside the Lena Tower Mountains. Therefore, the crisis in Lena Tower City is not completely resolved, and the Mastanians may launch a large-scale attack on us again at any time."
After a brief pause, Eva continued, "In addition, we do not know who launched the attack on the Mastanians last night, nor do we know if they will continue to attack the Mastanians tonight. If they no longer attack the Mastanians, when will the Mastanians launch another attack on us? And we are also unclear whether the Mastanians will further escalate their attack intensity due to the destruction of their mothership. In short, the current situation is still very bleak for us."
Upon the conclusion of Eva's speech, Elsie continued, "Although the current situation has suddenly become more complicated and remains highly unfavorable for us, it doesn't mean we've lost the chance to turn the tables. Quite the opposite, judging from what happened last night, we cannot rule out the emergence of a new force against the Mastanians. Of course, since we don't yet know why this new force is targeting the Mastanians, we must remain vigilant not only against the Mastanians but also towards the possible existence of another force. Moreover, this force might be hidden among us."
Upon hearing this, Yao Run, Carl, and others couldn't help but feel nervous. Elsie seemed to suspect that the mysterious force behind the destruction of the Mastanian mothership was hiding within Lena Tower City. The reaction among the assembled soldiers was immediate, with murmurs breaking out. Observing the optimistic reactions of the Skull Special Operations Team members, it appeared that they had a strong affinity for the mysterious attackers who had dealt a critical blow to the crisis at Lena Tower City. This sentiment alone was enough to gain their favor.
Upon seeing the reactions of those present, Elsie reiterated, "While I also think it's a good thing that a powerful force has emerged against the Mastanians, for safety reasons, we should remain cautious of them. After all, we don't know who they are and whether they might turn against us after attacking the Mastanians. Moreover, if their purpose in coming here was simply to deal with the Mastanians, why didn't they reveal themselves to humanity like the Salvationists?"
Eliza's series of questions quickly calmed the officers and soldiers present. Indeed, Elsie was right. If the purpose of that force was solely to assist humanity, why didn't they reveal their identity like the Salvationists? Could it be that they had some ulterior motive in mind when they chose to help humanity by attacking the Mastanians?
Yao Run and his companions discussed this issue with their fellow soldiers, as they noticed Elsie occasionally glancing towards them while she spoke. To avoid giving Elsie the impression that he was avoiding her gaze, Yao Run gathered his courage and suddenly spoke aloud to express his opinion.
Upon hearing Yao Run's unexpected remark, Elsie raised her eyebrows slightly and then smiled in response. "Hmm, Arun makes a valid point. Perhaps only in this way can those people pose a greater threat to the Mastanians? After all, unseen enemies are the most dangerous."
At this point, Elsie gave a nod of approval to Yao Run. Meanwhile, Eva, who had been watching the exchange between Elsie and Yao Run, intervened timely to avoid making Yao Run feel uncomfortable due to Elsie's particular attention. She said, "Lady Floss's analysis is correct. Perhaps those who launched the attack last night are accustomed to this form of aggression, which is why they only strike when the Mastanians are focused solely on us."
Upon hearing this, Elsie shrugged and said, "There are many peculiar civilizations out there. From our perspective, their thoughts or actions may be completely illogical, but they are quite normal for them. For example, we once assisted an independent race of beings. Among them, individuals were like magnets with the same poles, experiencing strong repulsion when they met."
"Ah, yes! In this world, not all civilizations will huddle together like your human race for warmth. Many civilizations prefer to survive independently. Among them, some more extreme civilizations, even under invasion from external enemies, are still difficult to rally together against the enemy due to their independent nature. We once encountered such a civilization, where despite their impressive individual abilities, they were still defeated one by one by the Mastanians, ultimately leading to the complete destruction of their civilization," Elsie said sadly, recalling the past.
Soon after, seeing that her sigh was making the atmosphere tense, Elsie quickly ended the topic and resumed with a firm tone, addressing the officers and soldiers once again, "Alright, let's not dwell on past events. The downfall of that civilization indeed saddened us deeply, but it is precisely because of this that we do not want to see such tragedies repeated. In any case, no matter the cost, we will help humanity defeat the Mastanians and restore peace to Earth NX! Please believe in us!"