Chapter 649 405: Human Nature

After the reinforcements for New Moon City arrived in Iron Sun, the failure of the World Government Army was already destined.

Once the enemies on the perimeter of the battlefield gradually surrendered, the defenders of Iron Sun quickly abandoned the city and surrendered as well.

They initially intended to resist, but Dongdong directly flattened the command building with a single shot from his built-in railgun, causing everyone to comply promptly.

In a world where supernatural powers exist, war can sometimes be this theatrical.

If the opposing side has top-level Extraordinary Beings, and you don't have someone of the same level or even anyone who can slightly restrain them, your frontline and morale can easily collapse.

Due to the vast number of enemies, the mopping-up phase lasted a full three days and nights.

According to subsequent statistics, Asou Ichirō, the overall commander of the Iron Sun battle for the World Government Army, was killed in combat. The third, fifth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth army groups under his command, along with the Defector Army and Iron Sun defenders, totaling 170,000 people, were annihilated, while 720,000 were captured.

A total of 103 Titan Mechas, 1,264 main battle tanks, and 5,873 cannons were captured from the enemy; countless drones and other military equipment were also seized.

On the Wolf Assault side, losses exceeded 220,000 individuals, leaving less than two-thirds of the original force. Many units fought to the last man, were completely annihilated, and were forced to disband.

The Iron Sun battle was one of the largest and most decisive battles during the Black Tide War. Both sides deployed over 1.6 million soldiers, creating the record for the highest number of participants since the Dawn Year and marking a turning point for the entire conflict.

After this battle, the Wolf Assault Army not only gained a crucial military industrial city but also opened the north-south battlefield completely, using the "Inland Sea" as a border to separate the eastern and western parts of the entire World Government Territory.

From this point onwards, whether continuing to attack the enemy's hinterland in the west or holding the existing gains in the east, the strategic initiative lay in the hands of the Wolf Assault.

Victory brings joy, there's no doubt about that.

But it often doesn't bring peace.

...

...

...

"I'll fucking kill you!!!"

Iron Sun City was already under the control of the Wolf Assault Army, and a chaotic riot was unfolding in a prisoner camp.

The open space inside and outside the prisoner's camp was crowded with people, the air filled with tension, and the crowd was split into two opposing groups.

One group consisted of hundreds of soldiers from the Wolf Assault camp, led by an officer named "Carl," their eyes filled with anger and hatred, teeth clenched, glaring fiercely ahead.

The other group was of an equal number of mercenaries, mostly from the Edge and Mo Xue, led by Shangguan Li, watching the Wolf Assault soldiers with vigilant expressions.

The two sides were only a few meters apart at the forefront, and the confrontation was rife with the smell of gunpowder, as if a dispute had arisen over something.

Behind Shangguan Li were several soldiers in torn and tattered clothing, clearly prisoners of the World Government Army based on their prison garb and disheveled appearance.

These prisoners shivered in fear, eyes filled with horror, faces marked with blood and bruises, as if they had just been beaten harshly.

Led by Carl, the Wolf Assault soldiers took a few steps forward, causing Shangguan Li to immediately shield the prisoners and glare at them: "Back up! I'm telling you to back up! Do you hear me?!"

Carl's eyes seemed to ignite, pointing at the prisoners, he gritted his teeth and cursed angrily: "These bastards killed my life-and-death brother! I seek revenge for him!"

The terrified prisoners tried to explain: "I, I haven't killed anyone! I was just sent out not long ago, and our main force surrendered; I haven't even fired a shot!"

Carl's eyes were full of bloodthirsty menace: "I don't care whether you've killed anyone or not; my brother died in Iron Sun, died at the hands of you lapdogs. You work for the World Government, and you must repay your blood debts!"

As Carl lunged forward again, Shangguan Li defended the frightened prisoners, reaching out to push back the enraged Wolf Assault soldier: "What are you doing?! They've already surrendered, they're unarmed, you're abusing prisoners of war!"

"Abuse?" Carl's eyes widened in anger, as if recalling something tragic, he screamed hoarsely, "Let me show you what abuse means!"

"My brother was dragged back by comrades, both legs crushed by a Tank, both arms severed by the enemy with bayonets, but he wasn't dead then, do you know why?"

"Because these bastards knocked the guys down without a finishing blow, only cutting hands and legs, leaving our men unable to live properly or die properly! Intentionally creating severely injured soldiers to wear us down!"

"My brother, to avoid being a burden to everyone, bit his tongue and ended his life alone in the middle of the night..."

At this point, Carl's eyes welled with tiger tears, forcefully stabbing at his heart as he spoke: "He was my brother! Known him for thirteen years! We crawled and fought together in the borderlands, risked life with fierce beasts, escaped with the big sister during the Celestial Gate incident, later raised the Wolf Assault banner again in the Land of No Master..."

"We made a pact, after the war we'd go somewhere quiet and live, whoever had kids first, the other would be the godfather..."

"But he died like this! Tormented to the point of being unrecognizable, forced to bite his tongue and die! Tell me! Should I revenge for this grudge?!"

Brotherhood is common among groups dealing with the flames of war, mercenaries being one of such groups, and Shangguan Li empathized with this grief and anger, her eyes reddened slightly.

But she still firmly said: "If you have a grudge, seek it against the World Government, take it to the battlefield. Sticking to a few innocent prisoners and committing murder, is this humane? Where's your discipline?"

Carl's heart was completely ignited by fury.

What bullshit discipline.

What bullshit humanity.

Your brother isn't the one who died; you stand here pretending to be righteous?