"Refuse?" Mu Tou was slightly confused, nonchalantly saying, "Isn't 'refuse' not in a soldier's dictionary?"

"You still haven't realized the severity of the current situation. I've already applied for a refusal for you to the Military Department." Sky Shadow tossed a paper to Mu Tou.

"I thought today was for drinking, why would I refuse?"

"This world doesn't have so many 'whys,' to be honest..." Sky Shadow slowly turned around, his voice suddenly becoming deep and melancholic, "War is not as simple as you think. If you go to that side, there's a high chance you won't survive."

Die? Frankly speaking, Mu Tou had not considered that much. This clueless lad initially didn't care about Mecha, but somehow during their training in Wind Thunder, he started to like it inexplicably.

Mu Tou stated that he hadn't thought about these things. If it was for a drink, he would willingly pay the bill and accompany his friend till the end. But if it's about this, he would rather not.

Sky Shadow shook his head, unexpectedly asking: "What's your dream?"

"I've got many dreams. After retirement, to find a good job, to support my elderly mother, buy an apartment, and then..." Mu Tou chuckled and replied with slight embarrassment.

"That so... But have you ever considered that if you go there, your dreams could be shattered halfway?"

"Heh, we have to bear the responsibilities, right?" Mu Tou understood his inherent stupidity. Instructor Feng once mentioned that with his personality, he could only succeed one step at a time. Thinking him a genius of sorts. For that, Mu Tou was happy for a while. However, Mu Tou was a late bloomer, and he had to work hard to improve himself. Sky Shadow remained noncommittal when Mu Tou voiced this sentiment.

"You're not wrong, but this is under normal circumstances. I'm sure even he would oppose your decision to head to the western battlefield." Sky Shadow shook his head; if possible, he did not want to lose his only drinking buddy.

In a way, Mu Tou was considered as his friend. He had wide social connections, yet very few people had gained a place in his heart. The reason why Mu Tou could keep company with him can be traced back to the Red Cloak Elites.

Mu Tou was unusually honest and straightforward. He might seem idiotic, but that was his true personality. Perhaps, that was why Mu Tou gradually changed Sky Shadow's perception of him. At least now, Sky Shadow found life to be less mundane.

He didn't try to dissuade Mu Tou further. He knew it'd be pointless no matter how much more he said, "let's go, we'll have a good drink tonight."

Later on, when the two left the bar, Sky Shadow left a sentence for Mu Tou to remember forever.

Early the next morning, Mu Tou packed his things and rode the shuttle out of the Solar System. Sky Shadow did not see him off. He only watched the shuttle lift off from his room until it disappeared from his sight. Then he ordered his servants to deal promptly with some matters from the Military Department.

According to the investigation report, while the experts are working hard to deduce the effect of Pross's new weapon, such a weapon could deal a paralyzing fatal blow to our warships. It is unfortunate that due to a lack of core technical force in the federation, there are no substantial leads.

Each battle marked the birth of new types of weapons, and victory meant destruction and progress in technological force. From mechanical to electronic to bionic, humanity never ceased to progress, yet Pross's new weapon was far beyond the Federation's calculations.

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, three days later the Capital Military Department received some exciting news. The Whale Warship that Sheridan was on managed to self-rescue. Cheers of joy completely enveloped the Capital Intelligence Bureau.

The higher-ups quickly ordered the Whale Warship to retreat. The Federation Army stationed at Roland Star had been awaiting news of General Sheridan and the Whale Warship before retreating. The consequences of a premature departure were not just simple numerical losses.

During the trip, Mu Tou's shuttle received a call from the Military Department to turn back halfway. The Federation had clearly understood the terrifying power of Pross's new weapon. It led to an unequal casualty ratio between attack and defense. It's not wise for one side to hold a knife while the other side has a gun. Confronting them now was not the best plan, so the decision was to temporarily give up on the Roland Planet.

An interesting phenomenon occurred between the enemy and our fleets. If we were to use an analogy, it was like unconditional surrendering when having an advantageous position in enemy territory during the First World War.

The war had not lasted for a few days, yet two major star regions were lost. After that, the ground forces of the Roland Star were stuck in a deadlock as the Federation immediately gave up on the space battle over the Roland Star. This had never happened in history before.

Despite public opinion pressure, Adams had no choice but to make this decision. Perhaps people would call him incompetent, perhaps people would question him, but who knew about the new weapon of the enemy? Who understood that every decision made by Adams was for the maximum benefit of our army?

He could order the fleet to continue the attack, even add more fleets, but Adams knew that doing so had no real significance. Spending the nation's limited resources would only make the war more difficult. Publicly, he was an exuberant president. In private, he often felt troubled about some things.

Rather than saying Adams lost two pioneer stars, it would be more accurate to say he gave them up directly. The opponent probably wished they could tie the Federation with the two resource stars and paralyze the Federation through spreading rumors. Both pioneer stars were dispensable to the Federation's current situation. The so-called money and diamonds are only currencies during peacetime. During a war, they are worthless, and industrial star areas are the necessities of major powers.

The news of abandoning Roland Star was also immediately passed to the soldiers on Roland Star itself. TMD, this news was like a thunderbolt, disrupting everyone's life. Probably within three days — no, less than two, enemy forces would land on Roland Star. A large-scale guerilla war across the entire star region might be awaiting them.

From the Military Department to the rank and file, every unit held urgent meetings. Before receiving orders from higher-ups, Jia Erjia gathered Instructor Liu Xinfeng, Feng Yi, and other officers in the Command Room to discuss the next steps.

Roland Star was not big, with a mass roughly equivalent to Earth. Through the virtual topographic map, a layered sand table appeared in everyone's line of sight. It was located at the peak of Roland Star's high barrier, their unit's commanding height.

Before the enemy forces parachuted, they would inevitably attack several vital military facilities. Therefore, they had to find a relatively safe route to leave the camp swiftly.

Surface-to-air missiles posed no threat to the enemy's fleet above the atmosphere, so guerilla warfare would be their only viable tactic and only life stake in this star region.

Within less than 20 minutes, the entire unit was like a boiling pot. No less than five evacuation maps were drawn up, but those seemingly relatively safe routes were always inadequate. Once exposed, their wait would be total annihilation.

During the meeting, the regiment suddenly sent a Heavenly Communication, ordering all units to pack their belongings swiftly and retreat from this area entirely. The regiment emphasized that the unit must not be more significant than a company. Having too many targets could easily expose the path. Fewer would not be suitable for survival, so this was the only option.

After a brief discussion, the old company commander and many soldiers agreed that choosing the jungle would be the best choice for their unit. A tropical rainforest would be even better. Unfortunately, their current location was on a peak 970 meters above sea level, thousands of kilometers away from the tropical rainforest. Their only option was to quickly retreat into the jungle.

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