Life Game In Other World
Chapter 1212: Arriving at the Northern Gate, Echoes of the Past? (Large - for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 1212: Chapter 1212: Arriving at the Northern Gate, Echoes of the Past? (Large Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

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"Is that the Northern Gate ahead?"

Standing aboard the hovering aircraft, the figure dressed in a pristine white silk suit stared at the narrow, vertical ’mountain pass’ displayed on the monitor in front of him.

"Yes,"

The man beside him, wearing a plain gray military uniform, responded calmly, "Once we pass through the Northern Gate, Dawn City is within reach. We should arrive at the destination on schedule."

"Underestimating the enemy is never a good habit,"

The figure in the white suit snorted coldly, "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Suote is just behind Minte City at the Northern Gate. Watch out for any tricks he might pull."

"Mr. Dailot,"

The man in the gray military uniform glanced sideways at the man in the white suit, "Ains is indeed a fine place, but high walls often obstruct one’s vision. Dismissing the combat capabilities of two major mercenary corps without witnessing an actual battlefield might come across as a bit...ignorant."

He raised his head, gazing at the rapidly approaching mountain pass ahead. Below him, a densely packed military force was advancing toward a steep slope, nearing its serpentine road winding up the hill.

"An individual’s strength, no matter how formidable, is irrelevant before a powerful mercenary corps unless he’s an Angel. Otherwise, he is nothing.

"Moreover, Wistain Iron has brought along a Demon Wolf—this setup is enough to flatten a mid-sized city effortlessly, let alone a small city like Minte."

He let out a faint chuckle and continued, "Even if the Suote you speak of could unite all forces within Minte City, they wouldn’t be able to withstand a single-handed strike from the two mercenary corps stationed outside the city.

"Rather than dwelling on the so-called Suote and his threat, I believe we should instead consider how to integrate these two mercenary corps into our army once they join us in Minte City."

"I do hope things turn out as you envision, Commander Wistain. You clearly underestimate Suote’s capabilities,"

Dailot snorted coldly, "Don’t forget, you’re not just commanding Stars Pharma’s mercenary corps. Other mercenary corps under Church-funded consortia are also involved. You will be held accountable for every decision you make."

"Of course, my friend,"

The man in the gray military uniform glanced at Dailot beside him and smiled. "Everything will proceed as planned. I assure you, our troops will calmly pass through the Northern Gate, arrive at the destination, and celebrate victory with the other forces in the renowned Glorious Palace over a grand banquet."

"I just hope your military prowess is as formidable as your confidence."

Dailot cast a mocking glance at the man in the gray military uniform, sneering as he turned and walked away.

Several figures clad in suits immediately followed him.

Whether intentionally or not, as he walked away, he muttered softly, "A mudfoot remains a mudfoot. Even in formal attire, it’s clear they lack manners."

Though his voice was neither loud nor quiet, it was unobtrusive enough that ordinary people wouldn’t hear it, but Transcendents of even moderate strength could capture it effortlessly.

Beside the man in the gray uniform, a young officer’s face instantly darkened with rage. He turned toward Dailot’s departing figure, ready to react.

But the man in the gray uniform extended his hand and stopped him.

"Commander?"

The young officer watched Dailot push open a rear door and leave while his own face flushed red, looking toward the man in the gray uniform.

"Don’t rush; impulsiveness is a soldier’s greatest taboo. Many things in this world are unnecessary,"

The man in the gray uniform patted the young officer’s shoulder warmly and smiled, "If a dog bites you, will you bite the dog back?"

Dailot, now surrounded by his suited followers, hesitated slightly. His fists clenched momentarily before stepping through the door.

"Commander,"

Once the door closed, a middle-aged officer standing on the other side of the man in the gray uniform cautiously asked, "Do you dislike the Order Church’s people?"

"I’m just not fond of certain people overstepping their bounds,"

Shaking his head, the man in the gray uniform gazed at the mountain ridges in the night and sighed, "In a military, the greatest flaw is receiving conflicting orders. If that guy wants to serve as their ’supervisor,’ then let him stand idle. But if he interferes in our command and management directly, things will become problematic."

The middle-aged officer let out a sigh himself and added, "The Order Church is becoming greedier by the day. Someday, they might try to intrude upon the consortia’s powers. Should that happen, there may be no place left for us."

"Enough? You don’t need to flatter me,"

The man in the gray uniform turned back slightly and cast a smile at the middle-aged officer, "Bottom line: I simply dislike the Order Church’s high-handed ways."

His gaze swept across the night sky, "Claiming they never perform Sacrifices—how do they think they acquire their ’Grace’ and ’Strength’? Even if mutated bodies are hidden well, parasites remain parasites."

The middle-aged officer lowered his head, his gaze lost within the shadows cast beneath the lamplight, and said nothing further.

"Enough of that,"

The man in the gray uniform raised his hand, his gaze fixed on the mountain pass at the summit, "Organize an elite unit for a swift advance—seize control of the Northern Gate and clear the path for our forces."

"Securing the Northern Gate and clearing the way for the army,"

The middle-aged officer hesitated briefly and then spoke softly, "Wasn’t this originally the responsibility of Wistain Iron and Musicnote Intelligence’s mercenary corps? Would taking charge of it now seem..."

He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully, "Presumptuous?"

"You’re wondering whether this would overstep our authority, correct? Those two mercenary corps have yet to provide a signal indicating they’ve seized the Northern Gate,"

The man in the gray uniform chuckled mildly and responded calmly, "Dailot may look down on people, but his judgment and capability are sound. His mention of Suote might not be completely far-fetched."

Shifting his attention back to the middle-aged officer, he added, "Urgent situations call for discretion. Lead the recon unit to assess the Northern Gate’s situation and ’assist’ the mercenary corps from the two major consortia. If you don’t find them, proceed to secure the Northern Gate directly.

He paused briefly before continuing, "After securing the gate, deploy a lightly equipped squad to check the status of Minte City and the two consortia’s mercenary corps.

"There’s no network across the wilderness, and the mountains north of Minte City block most wireless signals. Our intelligence isn’t precise. If there’s truly an issue, it’s impossible for a blind man to win a fight against someone who sees clearly."

"Understood!"

The middle-aged officer straightened and responded loudly.

Afterward, he turned around and ran out of the room.

As the officer departed, the man in the gray uniform shifted his gaze toward the still-fuming young officer beside him and smiled, "Still mad?"

The young officer’s flushed face softened slightly as he looked at the man in the gray uniform, somewhat embarrassed as he scratched his head.

Earlier, his emotional display was a mix—sixty percent real anger, and forty percent fabricated for leadership’s sake.

Someone had to show their indignation at that moment, and visibly so.

"We’re about to pass through the Northern Gate. I instructed you to check logistics earlier—what’s the result?"

The man in the gray uniform asked softly.

"Weapons and ammunition are in decent condition, with only about 0.5% affected by the cold weather, resulting in minor faults. The mercenary corps’ mechanics are actively conducting inspections and repairs,"

The young officer whispered, "But it seems our fuel cells and power batteries are running low. We’ve been avoiding cities along the way, which has significantly depleted our energy reserves. By the time we reach Dawn City, we might have less than 10% remaining."

"Are there issues with weapon systems’ energy supply?"

The man in the gray uniform queried.

"None,"

The young officer shook his head, "The problem is mainly with propulsion energy. Should we refuel at Minte City en route? The original plan included energy replenishment there."

"No,"

The gray-uniformed figure shook his head, "Regardless of reconnaissance outcomes ahead, we’ll bypass Minte City and head straight to Dawn City."

Facing the young officer’s puzzled gaze, he raised his head slightly and spoke hoarsely, "Dawn City will provide everything we need. Once we’re in the city, the soldiers can relax and recover."

"Understood!"

The young officer promptly responded.

"Commander, we’re approaching the Northern Gate region. Unknown interference detected at high altitudes—switching to low-altitude flight,"

Just then, the aircraft pilot in front turned back to address the man in the gray uniform, speaking quickly.

"Do we know the source of this interference?"

The man in the gray uniform asked softly.

"No, the interference seems to have been present since the appearance of the Northern Gate,"

The pilot responded in a low voice, "In the aerial zone near here, any higher altitude encounters interference, causing malfunctions in electronic equipment and hallucinations among personnel aboard the aircraft. Many cannot withstand the hallucinations and transform into monsters, leading to complete annihilation onboard."

"A no-fly zone,"

The gray-uniformed figure gazed out at the descending aircraft and the night sky beyond, chuckling softly, "Interesting."

"Truly the handiwork of nature,"

The young officer beside him couldn’t help but marvel.

"Indeed, the handiwork of nature,"

The man in the gray uniform carefully observed the mountains and the pass in the darkness, smiling, "Stationing just one brigade here can strangle the Federation East’s lifeline between north and south."

Lowering his head, he looked toward a nearby communications officer, "Relay the command—accelerate the march. We must pass through the Northern Gate with utmost speed."

——

Scarlet fusiform aircraft streaked across the night sky.

Through the faint glimmers of Stars, He Ao could vaguely discern the towering ridges ahead and the slender fissure wedged between two sheer cliffs.

This was He Ao’s first direct encounter with the Northern Gate. Even Suote’s memories had no knowledge of this area.

Suote mostly operated in the Federation’s southeastern regions; even when venturing northeast, he circled through the west rather than crossing the northern mountains near Minte City, bypassing the Northern Gate entirely.

"Mr. Suote,"

Xiya approached He Ao quietly, "We’re nearing the vicinity of the Northern Gate. We’ll need to lower altitude."

"Hmm?"

He Ao hesitated slightly, puzzled, "Why?"

Just as he asked the question, he felt a peculiar sensation flash from the jade box Xiya cradled.

Without hesitation, He Ao grabbed the jade box from Xiya’s arms.

At the very instant he clasped the jade box, he felt as if a heavy hammer struck the back of his head.

His consciousness became temporarily muddled; within this haze, he seemed to hear sharp and grating alarm sirens.

Soon, He Ao regained clarity and refocused his sight.

But the ’scenery’ in his view had completely shifted.

Instead of the frost-bound aircraft cockpit and the dim night snowfield, he now saw an entirely different world—an evening golden sky tinged with twilight, verdant trees flourishing on the mountain ridges.

He Ao’s perception of perspective felt odd; he was unable to move, unable to turn his head, as if he hovered over the mountains, or perhaps, was the mountains themselves.

Gentle, heated winds rustled the leaves, creating a symphony of whispers.

Various exotic beasts moved through the forest.

Among them were exotic beasts He Ao had encountered before, as well as others he had not. Most were unfamiliar.

Through the forest pulsated an overwhelming sensation of ’comfort,’ emanating from the pervasive energy saturating the air—a manifestation of the Order’s power.

This tainted energy soaked the forest and seeped into He Ao’s soul, attempting to manipulate, twist, and corrupt his mind.

Was this the northern mountains near Minte City?

Resisting the pervasive corruption, a revelation slowly dawned upon He Ao’s consciousness.

He scrutinized the forest around him, trying to discern his location.

The forests had no paths in them; no roads appeared in the distance. This seemed to be a completely untouched wilderness.

As He Ao puzzled over his shifting vision, something in the distant twilight horizon stirred.

A sense of unease instinctively gripped He Ao as he raised his eyes toward the source of the commotion.

Within the depths of the twilight-lit skies, a blurred figure rapidly approached.

Before He Ao could react, a dazzling streak of light swept across the sky, slicing apart the land and clouds, carving into the heart of the mountainous expanse.

Amid the chaos, He Ao discerned the essence of that brilliant beam—a ’Sword Light.’

Boom—

Earth-shattering tremors roared through the terrain as the forest echoed in deafening collapse. Exotic beasts fled in frenzy while towering mountain ridges crumbled under the blade’s sheer force.

At the same time, the blade’s impact disrupted the pervasive ’Order’s pollution’ saturating the mountain.

Under the immense Sword Light, the towering peaks crumbled like mounds of dirt; trees shredded like blades of grass.

A narrow crevice cleaved the lofty mountain range, as cascading boulders piled ahead and behind, creating steep and sloped terrains.

The immense energy emitted by the Sword mixed with the Order’s pollution lingering in the mountains, twisting the sky overhead. Yet, the ground at the crevice center remained eerily void—bereft of any pollution forces, forming a ’Pollution Vacuum.’

The figure who unleashed the mountain-cleaving blade came to a stop. Sensing something unusual, he raised his head to glance amongst the ridges.

In that chilling moment, He Ao felt the figure’s gaze pierce through the veil of time, locking onto him.

"Hah—huff—"

As though jolted awake from a profound nightmare, He Ao clutched the jade box, leaning forward, his entire body drenched in blood and sweat.

"Encountered unknown interference—encountered unknown interference—"

The piercing alarm blared hauntingly aboard the silent aircraft.

He Ao immediately pulled the control lever, pushing the aircraft downward into a low-altitude flight mode.

He glanced sideways, his gaze landing on Xiya.

Xiya seemed ensnared in her own ’pollution,’ though hers appeared less severe. As the aircraft descended out of the high-altitude zone, she abruptly snapped awake, leaning against the console, gasping for air.

"Mr. Suote,"

She stared blankly at He Ao, "I just..."

"Don’t dwell on it now,"

Clutching the jade box, He Ao coolly observed the faint black-and-white silhouette of the Blazing Angel Mech emerging ahead, "We’ve reached the Northern Gate."

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