Chapter 565 - 460: A Heavenly Windfall, It’s a Miracle

"To save time." Gao Neng replied after a moment of thought.

"Oh? Explain your reasoning." A faint glint flashed in Qin Jianfei’s eyes when he heard Gao Neng’s answer, but he quickly concealed it.

"There’s an old saying: a merciful person can’t command an army, just as a righteous person can’t run a business. Humanity has been at war with the alien races for a century. As the supreme commander of the Military Department, Commander Qin would naturally not be thinking about mercy. Therefore, the only possible reason is for the sake of the war effort. And the one thing this war needs most is time," Gao Neng explained.

"Go on." Qin Jianfei gave Gao Neng an appreciative glance.

"If we want to establish a foothold in Ice City and hold it long-term, we naturally can’t leave any aliens behind. In that case, there are two options: one is to massacre the population, and the other is to let them leave. I believe most people’s first instinct would be the massacre. After all, the aliens have brutally slaughtered humans, so it would be perfectly justified for us to do the same to them. However, completely wiping out all the aliens in a major city isn’t something that can be accomplished in a moment’s notice."

Gao Neng paused before continuing, "First, a massacre would require deploying a large number of troops, wasting ammunition and weapons. This is because once the aliens are completely surrounded, they would definitely resist with all their might. They might even use the terrain to fight like cornered beasts. If that happens, time, casualties, and attrition will all rise sharply. In a war where time is of the essence, this is actually unwise."

"I get it! So, we just need to leave an escape route for them. That way, even when we capture the major city, the aliens inside won’t fight us to the death. They’ll choose to retreat out the back, right?" Fang Tangtang’s eyes lit up.

"Yes." Gao Neng nodded.

"Hmm, not bad. Very well said. At least you haven’t been blinded by hatred. But is that the only reason?" Qin Jianfei looked at Gao Neng intently, a light shimmering in his eyes.

"It also affects the capture of the next two major cities. If we give them a way out when we attack Ice City, then when we attack the other two cities, the aliens there will surely try to escape immediately instead of staying to fight us to the death. After all, our main objective is the resources beneath the major cities," Gao Neng continued.

"Hahaha, if you weren’t aiming for the position of Speaker, I’d be seriously tempted to let you gain some command experience in this war." Qin Jianfei laughed.

"Actually, I see an opportunity right now." Gao Neng looked at the screen in front of them.

"Hmm... yes, this *is* an opportunity... Huh? What did you just say?" Qin Jianfei had been about to chuckle, but he quickly caught the hidden meaning in Gao Neng’s words.

Gao Neng had said *he saw* an opportunity.

He didn’t just say that this *was* an opportunity.

A subtle difference in phrasing, yet the meaning was completely different.

"Commander Qin is focused on winning the war, whereas I’m focused on the resources we can acquire from it," Gao Neng said casually.

"Go on!" Qin Jianfei’s eyes narrowed.

"The strategy of leaving the aliens an escape route to save time is a sound one. But if that also allows them to transport all the resources from the major city out the back, then it’s not much of a bargain, is it?" Gao Neng looked at Qin Jianfei.

"Shit!" Qin Jianfei shot to his feet and immediately yelled, "Gao Neng, talk! What’s your suggestion?"

"The troops for the rear ambush don’t need to be numerous, they need to be elite. I think people from the prominent families and sects would be perfect for the job. If possible, it would be best to also send a Tier Nine expert from the Military Department and one from the sects to lead them," Gao Neng replied.

’Good point. Those people are the fastest and best suited for cutting off the retreat... And sending an expert from the Military Department and one from the sects... they’ll keep each other in check. Hmm... Gao Neng, you’re a quick study!’ Qin Jianfei nodded, then decisively issued an order to his aide.

"Relay my orders! Immediately command..."

...

...

「Ice City.」

The Northern Ice and Snow Clan was not a large race.

The entire territory of the Ice and Snow Race consisted of three major cities and one Royal City, with five Tier Nine King Realm experts in total.

The Clan King was stationed in the Royal City, along with a Marshal. This was the arrangement in the Royal City. As for the three major cities, each was guarded by a City Lord.

However, that was before.

Now, that arrangement had been slightly disrupted.

This was because Gao Neng had slain a Tier Nine King Realm expert from the Ice and Snow Race. That very expert happened to be the Marshal who served at the side of the Ice and Snow Clan King.

There was a reason why they had opted for a roundabout solution—sending the Marshal from the Royal City to join the battle instead of dispatching the City Lord of Ice City to the siege of the North District.

The reason was simple...

Ice City was the alien major city closest to the North District of the City of Hope.

As such, it served as the "logistics base" for the 200,000-strong alien army, storing all the supplies for the Alien Race Alliance Army’s war effort.

With so many resources stockpiled in the city, it naturally required a Tier Nine expert to guard them. This made the Ice and Snow Race’s City Lord of Ice City, the White-faced King, the undisputed choice for the job.

Logically, a stockpile of this magnitude should not have been left in the care of a single Tier Nine expert.

But how could the alien races have ever expected to lose this battle?

Likewise, how could they have imagined that the humans would dare to lead an army to attack the city?

"Reporting to the Lord City Lord! The human army is about to descend upon the city!" An alien with a face covered in Scale Armor hurried into the City Lord’s Mansion.

"What’s the status of the supply evacuation?" The White-faced King’s face was deathly pale.

"They’re not fully loaded yet!"

"Send more troops! We need to load the supplies at top speed and get them out immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" The alien left.

The White-faced King slumped into his seat.

Yesterday, the 200,000-strong Alien Race Alliance Army had suffered a crushing defeat.

All sorts of deserters fled to his Ice City.

The only thing he could do was manage the rescue efforts for the survivors. As a result, he hadn’t slept a wink since the army’s defeat.

He had mobilized the troops within the city with all possible speed to arrange the logistics.

And then, just as he was running around like a headless chicken...

The human army attacked!

’What the hell?!’

’How dare the humans do this!’

"Defend the city! We must hold Ice City!" This was the White-faced King’s first instinct. He had immediately dispatched messengers to the other clans to request reinforcements.

’And the result?’

The news he received was that the experts from the various clans were all busy escorting their Princes to safety.

’Leaving...’

’They’re just leaving!’

’Shit!’

’Not only that, there hasn’t even been a peep from the Royal City.’

"How am I supposed to defend this place?!" The White-faced King’s eyes were bloodshot. Since his city was a supply depot, all of his elite troops had been transferred to the front lines at the start of the war. He was left with only a few weak units to guard the logistical supplies.

Now, with just the strength of his city and the few thousand stragglers who had fled to Ice City, how could he possibly hold out against the massive army dispatched by the Human Alliance?

"Retreat!" The White-faced King could only make this decision.

The problem was, even retreating was nearly impossible. Almost all of the Allied Army’s logistical supplies were still stockpiled in Ice City.

’If I lose these supplies...’

’I don’t even have to guess. The other alien races will definitely come to settle the score with me later.’

’How could my little Ice and Snow Race possibly withstand the wrath of all the other races?’

The White-faced King had, in fact, considered burning all the supplies.

’But with several thousand wounded soldiers still in the city, not to mention countless other civilians, how could I bring myself to set fire to it all?’

’Besides, and most importantly, even if I did burn all the supplies...’

’The other fucking races would still come after me!’

"Retreat! Retreat with the supplies, as fast as possible!" The White-faced King immediately gave the orders, deciding to stay behind himself to buy time.

He only had one choice.

’Fight to the death!’

’I’ll sacrifice my own life to ensure these supplies are safely transported out the rear gate.’

’Otherwise, it won’t just be me who dies...’

’...it will be the entire Ice and Snow Race.’