BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 1169: The Other Side



Bill stood in his office at the Law Gate, studying the reports scattered across his broad mahogany desk.

The past months hadn't been easy at all. With Monica's death, only he remained behind to ensure all the blackguards from the human continent traversed the ocean and went to Mur.

Many lives were lost.

Maps and displays covered the walls. On them were markers showing troop positions and defensive installations.

The markers also showed the places where the blackguards believed Erik's troops were.

The blackguards even found some of the forest bases, yet they didn't know that most of Erik's troops took the place of Hin's troops months ago.

The latest intelligence updates said nothing about their enemy and his troops.

"Any news about Erik Romano yet?"

Bill's attendant's boots clicked against the floor. The blackguard's uniform bore the Enforcers' insignia.

"No, Commander. Our agents spotted him in Sleb Harbor three days ago, but after that, there is no more news about him."

Bill's expression hardened. After Monica's defeat, there was only one thing for Erik Romano to do: kill him.

Sure, that was part of the whole blackguards purging, something he himself was helping Erik to do by sending the blackguards on Mur. Yet the two had different reasons. Bill wanted to save his soldiers; Erik to kill them.

As the Law Gate was the blackguards' last major stronghold on Hin, Bill knew Erik would not rest until it fell.

"What about his army?"

"Several of them had been seen reaching the main island and heading to Sleb Harbor."

"Hin's army did nothing?"

"Based on what we know, sir, they didn't even notice them."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Bill slammed his fist on the desk, sending papers flying. His face turned crimson with rage as he paced the room like a caged animal.

"Incompetent fools!" he roared, sweeping a stack of reports off his desk. They scattered across the floor in a chaotic mess. "We've spent years training them, equipping them, and this is the best they can do? FOOLS!"

The veins in his neck bulged as he grabbed a map from the wall and crumpled it in his hands. "Their enemy is here, on their land, yet they are so useless as to even fail to find them."

The attending blackguard took a cautious step back, having rarely seen his commander lose control like this. After a moment, Bill took several deep breaths.

Bill's attendant tried calming him down. "They don't have our agents, sir. It would be hard for them to do that."

Bill could only sigh at that, because he knew the man was right. Erik's soldiers were strong, and only powerful scouts would be able to find them.

The blackguards themselves were in the same situation the previous year, when their troops didn't have a lot of neural links in their second brain crystal power and when many of their troops didn't even have a second ability.

Bill walked to the window. Below, the Law Gate's massive defenses stretched out like a labyrinth.

Bill chose to remain here at Monica's suggestion, but the guard towers, the anti-air guns, the barrier, and the hundreds of thousands of troops there made him feel safe.

That was because he knew all these things failed for Monica. That was because he knew he might die if he ended up fighting against Erik.

However, despite that scaring him, he knew it was his duty to give the First Division Commander more time for her research team to complete their project, and Bill intended to give it to her, even if it meant facing that monster firsthand.

"Send orders to our agents," Bill said, his fingers drumming against the windowsill. "I want every aircraft destroyed. We have waited enough. If there are more blackguards on Mannard, they will be alone."

The attendant's jaw tightened, and his shoulders tensed. He had served under Bill for years, but the order to destroy their only means of escape felt like signing their own death warrant. His fingers unconsciously curled into fists at his sides as he struggled to maintain his professional composure.

"Sir, if the situation deteriorates, we'll have no escape route."

Bill paused.

"We don't have them regardless," the man said. Then a brief silence ensued.

"I don't want to risk Erik getting his hands on our aircraft," Bill said firmly. "If he captures even one of our ships, he could use it to reach Mur. We can't let that happen. The consequences would be catastrophic."

The blackguard hesitated, his posture stiffening. "We will need to destroy the hangar..."

"Better lost than in his hands," Bill cut him off, turning to face the soldier. "Erik Romano must not reach Mur."

The blackguard's shoulders slumped slightly. He knew the order's implications-destroying their escape route meant committing completely to this fight.

"Sir..." he started, then caught himself. Years of military discipline took over. The second division commander's logic was sound, even if the order was difficult to accept. With a deep breath, he straightened his posture.

"I'll see to it personally, Commander," he said. "The hangar will be destroyed within the hour. What about our defensive preparations?"

Bill moved back to his desk, picking up schematics of the Law Gate's defensive systems. The fortress-like city had been designed to be impregnable, its walls having the latest military technology from Etrium.

These certainly worked against Thaids. Well, they worked even against humans, but they were not exactly thought to fight against people. There were ways to destroy them, to render them ineffective. If they worked against Erik Romano and his troops, that wasn't something easy to

say.

"Put all units on high alert. Double the guard rotations, especially around the outer perimeter. Erik won't wait long to attack, especially not if he had been spotted on Sleb

Harbor."

Then a chilling thought crossed the Enforcer's mind.

"Sir, do you... Do you perhaps think he left Maynard Island because he is going to attack?"

The soldier's question reflected the widespread anxiety that had gripped everyone since

Monica's defeat.

"He remained on Maynard Island for months," Bill nodded. "He is a smart fella, and his intelligence is not inferior to ours. I would say it is even better. But he'll come, and if he left Maynard Island, it means he is going to reach this place soon."

...

...

The two kept talking for a while.

"What's the status of our forces?" He moved to a tactical display showing troop distributions throughout the Law Gate.

"All units are ready for combat, sir. But..." the soldier paused. "Morale plummeted after news of the third division commander's defeat spread. The soldiers are... restless."

The news of Monica's defeat had spread already among the troops, sowing fear and doubt. There was not a way to prevent that information from reaching the soldiers. However, the result was that even battle-hardened veterans were unnerved by Erik Romano's army.

Bill knew fear could be very dangerous. He had seen how it could weaken discipline, break unity, and make soldiers lose hope.

The soldiers now questioned whether defending the Law Gate was worthwhile or if it was just a way to delay the inevitable. Regardless, everything was going to result in their death. Bill knew he had to improve his soldiers' spirits. For any army to fight well, the soldiers needed to believe in themselves. Right now, his troops lost that belief.

His troops needed a clear sign of leadership. By maintaining a strong defensive position and

staying to face the threat head-on, he would show his soldiers that their commander trusted in their abilities and was committed to their success.

<I need to fight on the first line, contrary to what Monica did. If Erik Romano shows himself, I

will have to fight him.>

This didn't mean he couldn't employ some tactics against him.

Despite having multiple opportunities to withdraw his forces, Bill remained at his post.

It helped that the Thaids on Mur were getting restless, and attacks on the first division were increasing. The first division commander had been forced to hide, creating a hideout in the

Lorogia Region.

Since the biological supercomputer had been created in that region, finding a hideout there was a straightforward decision. The first division commander simply repurposed one of the existing laboratories to shelter his troops.

There were many places like that, most already taken by the blackguards, but there were some

still hidden in the jungle.

"Monica underestimated him," Bill said, remembering his colleague's last communication.

"We won't make the same mistake."

Yet even as he spoke, Bill felt unease growing in his gut. Their retreat from Frant had cost

them valuable resources and manpower. The entire war did.

<Damn Volkov.>

Trapped on Hin, they now faced an enemy who had already defeated some of their best

fighters. Bill could only hope that the time he gave to the first division would be enough to

make them strong enough to at least resist him.

"Send word to all Sentinels," Bill said. "I want hourly status reports. If Erik moves against us,

we need to be ready."

The blackguards saluted and left. Bill returned to his maps, studying possible attack vectors.

The Law Gate's defenses were strong, but Erik Romano had shown a troubling ability to accomplish the impossible.

"One way or another," Bill said to himself, "this ends here."

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