Chapter 563 459: The Great War Begins: Dragon Soaring in the Nine Heavens

On the fractured city wall.

Gao Neng held a soup-filled bun in his left hand and a steamed bun in his right, his gaze fixed on the distance.

A biting cold wind swept past.

It rustled his black military uniform.

As a Deputy Division Commander of the Military Department, Shen Ning'Er certainly couldn't be out here with Gao Neng in the cold wind. After all, she had to go command the heavy mecha artillery.

But Fang Tangtang was a different story.

Fang Tangtang had found Gao Neng first thing after waking up and immediately started chattering away, asking a ton of questions.

For example: "Where did you go last night?!"

"When I, Death God Fang Tangtang, snuck into your military tent at three in the morning, why was no one there?"

Of course, the question Fang Tangtang was most concerned about was actually about Gao Xiaomeng. In her mind, Gao Neng being gone all night definitely meant he was with Gao Xiaomeng.

"Where on earth did Gao Xiaomeng go?" Fang Tangtang asked this question for the thirty-sixth time.

"Far away, yet right before your eyes." Gao Neng casually pointed into the distance. He had given this same answer thirty-six times as well.

"But how come I don't see her? Why isn't she coming to find me? Where did she go?" Fang Tangtang asked again, still confused.

"Far away, yet right before your eyes," Gao Neng replied once more.

"That's impossible... If she really came, she would definitely look for me. She and I... She didn't just not show up, did she? Hurry up and tell me, where in the world did Gao Xiaomeng go?"

"By the way, Tangtang, do you remember the last time we were on the battlefield?" Gao Neng finally broke the loop and changed the subject.

"Are you talking about the time we went to the Dark Night Elf Clan?"

"Yes."

"It's been a few months. Winter hadn't officially started yet. I think it was... October twenty-fifth?" Fang Tangtang answered after a moment of thought.

"Mhm, and do you remember what happened last time?"

"Of course I do. But why are you asking this now... What are you getting at?"

"I'm thinking about a problem."

"What problem?"

"Last time, our objective was to attack the Dark Night Elf Clan. But as it turned out, the Dark Night Elf Clan just so happened to be holding a matchmaking ceremony, and princes from every race showed up with their Guard Teams. Tell me... do you think that was a coincidence?" As he spoke, Gao Neng took a bite of the soup-filled bun in his left hand.

His mouth filled with broth.

'So good!'

"You don't think it was a coincidence?" Fang Tangtang was a little confused.

"If it were just a simple matchmaking ceremony, it might have been a coincidence. But, if you add in the fact that the Dark Night Elves' Seventh Princess, Wu Dingxiang, left the city alone to face us... then it seems less like a coincidence," Gao Neng said, shaking his head.

"How so?"

"Wu Dingxiang is the Queen of the Dark Elves' most beloved princess. Normally, she would have more than just a few handmaidens with her. Then, after she left the city, all the princes left too. If I'm not mistaken, they might have been planning to use the princes' Guard Teams to encircle and annihilate our attacking forces!" Gao Neng analyzed.

"Ah, when you put it like that, I guess it really doesn't seem like a coincidence, does it?" Fang Tangtang's eyes widened, her mouth falling open.

"Mhm. And if it wasn't a coincidence, then how did the Dark Night Elf Clan know the time and objective of our advance?" Gao Neng looked at the slack-jawed Fang Tangtang, then swallowed the rest of his bun in one gulp.

"A spy?" Fang Tangtang guessed.

"That's what I thought at the time, so I didn't ask much more about it. But I saw Commander Wang again during yesterday's meeting. He asked me a few things about the Underground City, and I took the opportunity to ask him about the last attack on the Dark Night Elf Clan." Gao Neng chewed and swallowed the bun in his mouth.

"What did you ask?"

"I just asked about the arrangements for that last march."

"And the result?"

"Commander Wang said that to ensure the operation's secrecy, it was only approved by the Military Department's high command. No one else was briefed, so a leak should have been impossible," Gao Neng replied.

"Are you saying... there's a spy from another race in the Military Department's high command?! But that's impossible! Everyone in the high command is above the fourth-order. If there was a spy among them, we would have definitely noticed. You can't hide your energy signature."

"I used to think energy signatures couldn't be hidden too, but ever since I learned to hide my own, I'm not so sure about that anymore." Gao Neng picked up the steamed bun in his right hand.

"Can I have a bite?" Fang Tangtang's eyes were fixed on the steamed bun.

"If you want some, why don't you go get your own?" Gao Neng wasn't about to indulge her. He took a huge bite of the steamed bun, then offered the remaining small half to her.

"Hmph, as if I, Death God Fang Tangtang, would eat your leftovers?" Fang Tangtang shot it a disdainful look, then pulled a bottle of liquor and three large roasted chicken legs out of nowhere.

"Where did those come from?" Gao Neng's eyes glazed over.

He had circled the area below the wall several times and had only seen soup-filled buns and steamed buns. There definitely weren't any large roasted chicken legs on offer.

After all, the current conditions were grim.

"An old grandma saw how frail I looked and insisted on giving them to me," Fang Tangtang said with a look of pure enjoyment, taking a swig of liquor while gnawing on a chicken leg.

"..." Gao Neng was speechless.

'Figures. I should have made a few more laps down there.'

Smelling the aroma wafting through the air...

Gao Neng was really in no mood to continue chatting with Fang Tangtang about spies. More importantly, they had already reached the point of no return.

Even if there really was a spy, he wouldn't back down.

As the saying goes, they would face whatever came their way.

You can't just refuse to attack because your military intelligence might be compromised, right? So, this battle had to be fought, no matter what.

"Want some?" A chicken leg was held out in front of Gao Neng.

"If I wanted one, I'd go get it my—mmph!" Gao Neng wasn't about to be tricked. Fang Tangtang was being far too naive if she thought she could regain face with a single chicken leg.

But before he could finish his sentence, the chicken leg was shoved into his mouth.

On pure instinct, Gao Neng took a bite.

"Is it good?" Fang Tangtang took a big GULP of liquor.

"It's actually pretty good." Gao Neng chewed, his eyes drifting to the remaining chicken legs in Fang Tangtang's hands. He couldn't help but swallow.

"If you want some, why don't you go get your own?" Fang Tangtang tilted her head back, then snatched the chicken legs and scurried away.

"..." Gao Neng was speechless again.

'Damn it!'

'To get played so easily.'

'Still, this chicken really is delicious. I wonder which old grandma is such a good cook.'

As he thought this, he licked his lips again.

'It's just too good... '

'Huh?! Wait!'

'There seems to be a very rich fire... element... within it.'

Gao Neng's head snapped up.

Not far from him, Fang Tangtang was stuffing her face with the chicken legs. And without realizing it, a faint heat was radiating from her body.

"So that's how it is!" If Gao Neng still didn't understand, he'd have to be a real idiot.

The so-called old grandma...

...was actually Gao Xiaomeng!

And these chicken legs were infused with fire-attribute evolutionary energy.

"Wow, that was so delicious!" Having finished the chicken legs, Fang Tangtang still seemed to want more. She scampered back over and took another big swig of liquor.

"It seems it really is possible that a spy has infiltrated the Military Department," Gao Neng said, tilting his head back.

Gao Xiaomeng could deliver food to Fang Tangtang's hands without anyone noticing. So, who could say with one hundred percent certainty that there wasn't another race with a similar concealment ability?

"Oh right, weren't we just talking about spies?" Fang Tangtang's face was slightly flushed, and she was continuously exhaling hot breath.

"Looks like we're about to move out. We can talk about it later." Gao Neng glanced down below.

The troops were already beginning to assemble.

If nothing unexpected happened, someone would be calling for him soon.

And in fact, no sooner had the words left his mouth than a person walked up and gave a respectful military salute to Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang.

"Colonel Gao, Major Fang, Commander Qin requests that you both accompany the combat command vehicle!"

"Understood." Gao Neng nodded, not refusing.

This was, after all, something he had expected.

Qin Jianfei would certainly not let Gao Neng act alone. He would keep Gao Neng by his side, which naturally meant he'd bring Fang Tangtang along as well.

As for Shen Ning'Er, she would likely be leading the troops forward.

...

Ten minutes later.

Several command helicopters took off.

Countless combat vehicles loaded with infantry officially departed.

Meanwhile, Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang were inside the command vehicle with Qin Jianfei and a few staff officers from the Military Department.

As for Wu Qingjing, he was in charge of logistics arrangements.

There weren't many people in the command vehicle.

Including Gao Neng, there were only nine people in total, one of whom was the driver.

However, the vehicle was equipped with no fewer than thirty screens, each one displaying a different feed.

"Recon One reporting. All clear within a five-kilometer radius ahead."

"Recon Two reporting. All clear within a five-kilometer radius to the left."

"Recon Three has not yet reached the designated point. Currently flying rightward. Encountered a cold front, have only scouted up to four kilometers so far..."

"Rear is all clear!"

One report after another rang out around them.

'So this is war,' Gao Neng thought, listening to the voices of the staff officers. His gaze involuntarily shifted to Qin Jianfei, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Do you have a question for me?" Qin Jianfei opened his eyes.

"Yes. Commander, do you think it's possible that a spy from another race exists within the Military Department's upper echelons?" Gao Neng asked after a moment of thought.

"Of course there is," Qin Jianfei replied without a moment's hesitation.

"There really is a spy? But the energy signatures of other races are different from ours. Besides, to enter the Military Department's upper echelons, you definitely have to pass an identity verification, including blood tests and all that. How could they not be discovered?" Upon hearing this, Fang Tangtang immediately poked her head closer.