Chapter 248: New Backbone
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The other team members followed Wang Tong, as the latter stepped into the half circle formed by Zergs. Five sickle Zergs jumped at Wang Tong at the same time, each brandishing their pair of sharp and deadly arms.
Wang Tong stood still while holding the blade. His teammates thought Wang Tong had been stupefied by the terrible scene until they saw a glint from the curve of the blade. In a blink of eyes, the five Zergs had been chopped into pieces, their remains scattered all over the ground.
The air was suddenly filled with a thin mist of Zerg's blood, and it touched Wang Tong's skin like a thin veil of crimson silk as it fell through the air. The smell of the blood triggered Wang Tong's memories.
Wang Tong yanked his blade up and tightened his grip on the handle, whitening his knuckles, and then stabbed the ground under his feet with full force. A stream of black blood squirted out from where he had stabbed, accompanied by an agonizing shriek. The detection equipment also went off, indicating that there was a skulk right underneath Wang Tong.
Wang Tong held the blade with two hands and channeled his GN force to the tip of the blade buried under the earth. Then, he twisted the handle to make sure the skulk stood dead.
"Lieutenant! Mission complete!"
"Attaboy! Quick and clean! Have you done this before? You look...more proficient at it than us."Jansining said as he patted Wang Tong's shoulder heavily. He registered that Wang Tong's move and skills were unlike that of a new recruit, but instead of a veteran.
What really impressed Jansining was Wang Tong's control over his GN force based on the life force left in his enemy. He noticed that Wang Tong used only thirty percent of his GN force while delivering the killing blow, because the skulk was injured and using any more GN force would be a waste.
"Balls! How did you do that?" Overbite asked incredulously. He wondered how Wang Tong would be able to detect the skulk while the equipment had failed.
"Haha! I have been a survivor on Norton, and it wasn't my first time killing Zergs."
"I knew it! Finally, the military has sent us someone useful!" Jansining beamed with relief; he knew that with Wang Tong's help, his team's survival could be secured.
"Lieutenant, I think he is just lucky. I don't believe it for a second that the youngsters nowadays are able to handle six Zergs by themselves."
"I agree. There had been lessons in other platoons. Allegedly, a young boy from the S class Academy was assigned there, and he went nuts after killing a few Zergs. He couldn’t handle it, and it was just too stressful, so he ran back to his mama's bosom… Haha." Little O laughed.
Little O was right, wartime life was not something that any student could stomach. The 5G gravity and the vicious Zergs were indifferent to the level of the academy where the student came from. The real challenge was not even in the mortal danger. Instead, it started when a young student had to witness his teammate being brutally murdered by grotesque creatures.
Wang Tong's power had brightened everyone's mood. They had been troubled by the thought of looking after a useless little prick. But instead of a worthless little prick, they had gotten a bug spray.
The members of the ninth platoon were genuinely in awe with Wang Tong after the latter told them about his survival story on Norton. After hearing the story, what they had witnessed suddenly made sense to them.
Jansining rearranged the team composition and positioned Wang Tong at the front center as the main damage dealer.
Jansining reasoned that with Wang Tong as the backbone of the team, the other team members ought to feel safer and fight more confidently. Wang Tong's detection ability could also provide extra safety to the team by reducing the chance of being ambushed.
Their current mission would last three days, and by the end of the first day, they had already reached their highest kill count per day. Thanks to Wang Tong's ability and power, the ninth platoon could face off at least a few dozen Zergs; it was a vast improvement compared to their previous capability.
As they continued their mission, everyone noticed that Wang Tong understood the Zergs better than most veterans. Not only Wang Tong had first-hand experience in dealing with the Zergs, but he had also learned a great deal from the textbooks. When Wang Tong combined the two elements together, he had become the know-it-all on Zergs. He had even given field lectures to a few veterans in his team about the most efficient way of killing certain types of Zergs.
In the night, while everyone was helping set up the camp, Overbite walked the perimeter of the camp and installed detection lines. Unlike the restless Zergs, the humans needed to sleep to recuperate. Every time a team was on an extended mission, they were given the necessary supplies for setting up a safe camp inside enemy lines. Thanks to the space crystal, this equipment could be carried around very conveniently.
"Come one bros, we shall toast to welcome our new addition! " Jansining raised his cup.
"Drink up, you pu**ies! For our good luck!"
Being surrounded by this groups of vigorous and boisterous comrades, Wang Tong felt like he had found the life he had been looking for. On the battlefield, everyone was willing to die for each other, and off the battlefield, they could freely throw banter at each other. This was not a platoon but a family, and this life was the life of real men and real soldiers.
Wang Tong still felt a slight disappointment whenever he thought about Turner, but he reminded himself that the military had more members than just an isolated case. Most of the soldiers he had met so far were selfless in devoting their lives to the greater good.
"Now, I'd like to announce that Wang Tong would be our second in command. He will assist me in my task when I am still alive, and if I get eaten by one of those b*stards out there, he should be your new platoon leader!" Jansining cracked a smile and announced loudly. His voice boomed inside the simple camp.
"What the hell is lieutenant talking about?"
"Yea, that's nonsense lieutenant. With Wang Tong on our side, we could finish off over a hundred Zergs unharmed."
"Hell yea!"
"That being said, I got no beef with Wang Tong's promotion. The lad knows the bugs so well, it's like he was one too! Haha. My sword is at your command, Wang Tong!"
"Aye!"
Wang Tong's poised moves during the battle had opened his teammates' eyes to a new level of efficiency in killing Zergs with precision and effortlessness. Wang Tong had also shown a solid understanding of the usage of battle formations.
It was clear then that Wang Tong was an intelligent and skilled fighter. But while everyone was rejoiced about gaining such a capable teammate, Wang Tong had noticed a hint of concern flash in Jansining's eyes.
"What's the matter, lieutenant?"
Jansining lit a cigarette and puffed a cloud of smoke before he replied slowly, "It's nothing. Take a rest, you had fought well today and must be tired now."
"This is nothing lieutenant. I'm still new to the team; you don't have to assign me as ..."
"Then why do you accept it?" Jansining cut Wang Tong short, his eyes glinting.
Wang Tong cracked a smile and said, "You all have already accepted me as part of your team. So, I decided to be honest with you guys. I know I am capable of leading a platoon, and you, too, need my help. Therefore, I thought there was no need to be overly courteous."
"Well said! During the time of war, I, as the platoon leader, have the rights to assign my second in command. I had considered Third, since, in addition to his solid performance, he also liked to kiss my ass and all. However, things seemed even more, simpler since you arrived. Your ability is well above any one of us here. But, tell me, why did you choose to come to us?" Jansining puffed smoke after he asked his question.
Base on Wang Tong's ability, he could have started as a higher ranking officer and would never need to walk this perilous path with the foot soldiers. So, it bade the questions of Wang Tong's real motivation in joining the ninth platoon.
Wang Tong felt slightly embarrassed by his answer: Samantha.
Jansining seemed to have seen thorough Wang Tong's sentiment. He patted on Wang Tong's shoulder and said, "There's no need to be embarrassed by your decision. We all had our fate, and now out fates are intertwined with each other. I hope you understand that and do all you can to protect your teammates."
"Yes, lieutenant. You can count on me!"
"Yes, I believe in you. You were born to be a soldier. The way you handled the blade, gosh... I really wish that I were you. You will do great things in the army, trust me. I am seldom wrong in reading a person."
"Lieutenant, what's our mission this time?"
"Nothing big. We are on our way to meet up with members of other platoons. They had discovered a hive from the space a couple of days ago and mobilized us to the AOI to finish off the Queen. It would be a large scale frontal assault, so there won't be as much coverage. You will see what I mean when you get there. "
Scouting missions on Norton were much less dangerous than assaults on Zerg's hives, as the sheer number of Zerg could completely overwhelm the soldiers, should the estimates of enemy force be slightly off.
The only viable strategy in carrying out a frontal assault was to push forward and kill the queen as soon as possible. That meant the soldiers would have to go underground into the labyrinth of deadly tunnels that were practically death traps prepared by the Zergs, and hope that they would find the Queen after the next turn. Despite the extreme danger, there had been no other better ways to kill a queen.