Chapter 20: Unblemished Courage

Several fuel barrels, filled with black "dye" made using Phosphorus.

Defectors in slightly different Black Uniforms line up in long rows to uniformly change into Black Uniforms in front of the fuel barrels.

And each defector who completes the "uniform change," when they join Xisi's command, has the previously fearful expression replaced by joy.

Because not only can they follow Astat, but also because re‑enlisting ends their three‑fold fate of starving to death, being cut down by Green Skin, or being shot by an officer, finally bringing them "hope."

Xisi stands at the edge of a trench, watching the steadily replenished troops; although the morale of these defectors spikes a Hundredfold after joining his command, their morale was essentially zero, so even a Hundredfold increase still can't compare to his veterans.

Their only advantage at this moment is still a relatively sufficient number.

Bunoke, holding the freshly tallied data, strides along the trench toward Xisi.

Bang!

Stand at attention and salute:

"According to the statistics, we have reinforced nearly 70,000 troops, most of whom are defectors, but some trapped Star Realm Army also joined us."

He hands the report to Xisi; Xisi glances at it, and with the addition of 30,000 veterans still alive, his legion's strength returns to 100,000.

Though the numbers have recovered, Xisi looks at the weapons at the rear and sighs helplessly.

Because the newly added soldiers, apart from a single Rifle, have nothing else.

"The Command Center still hasn't responded to our supply request?"

This place is not far from the outer safety zone of the Command Center; air‑delivery supplies are possible.

Bunoke nods:

"They responded and dispatched three Yunxuji."

Xisi's eyes brighten, but Bunoke shakes his head again:

"However, the Yunxuji were shot down by besieging Green Skin."

Speechless, he gives Bunoke a glance as he leaves the sentence unfinished, and Xisi abandons hope in the Command Center.

Raising his hand, he looks at the shattered mirror of his watch, watching the hour hand about to point to the appointed time, then lowers his arm.

He looks up, gives a final sweep at the escapees' hopeful faces, and Xisi lets out a light sigh:

"Order, depart."

A Walking Tank tips over the roadside.

The flames have long gone out, and only wisps of black smoke rise slowly from the charred wreckage.

A soldier crawls out of the tank, raises a segment of ammunition chain in his hand, his face full of smile.

Outside soldiers immediately take it, a few cradling the chain, hurrying onto the adjacent avenue.

Dense Black Uniform infantry march on, their footfalls continuous, but only far behind a distant line does a lone supply vehicle appear.

Soldiers in the formation see these men actually obtain a row of ammunition chain and cast envious glances.

Only when the veteran officer scolds do the soldiers turn back.

These soldiers then hand the chain to a supply vehicle, after which a few receive a whole piece of compressed starch.

They quickly distribute the starch evenly, the few of them putting it into their mouths without stopping.

The bland, tasteless compressed starch brings endless satisfaction to their faces.

But their eyes‑closed enjoyment doesn't last long; a roar of motorcycles in the distance pulls them back to reality.

Turning his head toward the distance, a dozen Green Skin racing motorcycles kick up clouds of dust over the wasteland.

The soldiers' faces turn sour again, and after glancing at the Green Skin, they look back at the Imperial Control Zone that has completely vanished, fear finally registering in their eyes.

Only the defectors, watching the increasingly deepening fallen zone and the ever denser Green Skin around, though morale was already on the brink of collapse.

But after receiving Xisi's Hundredfold Amplification, these former defectors not only didn't rout, but even at distances almost face‑to‑face with the enemy, they still kept marching formation.

This scene left Daiweiluo, standing in the middle of the line, literally half a height above the mortals, somewhat puzzled and astonished.

He scans the surrounding soldiers again, seeing the fear in their eyes yet no sign of fleeing, and after thinking it over, Daiweiluo can only turn his gaze to Xisi at the front of the line.

Besides Xisi's personal charisma and legion's rallying power, Daiweiluo truly can't understand what makes these defectors regain courage.

Moreover, compared to these mortals, what concerns Daiweiluo more is the Green Skin that has been trailing for a long time yet still hasn't launched an attack.

The Green Skin that usually seeks a fight, when faced with such a massive human force, chose to watch!

Having been in Deathwatch for over two hundred years, Daiweiluo had almost never seen such a reaction from Green Skin.

Because this watch‑and‑wait behavior, from the Green Skin's perspective, is tantamount to cowardice.

And the thought that nearby Green Skin would actually yield to a mortal unit shocked Daiweiluo so much that he wondered if he could set aside his current mission to investigate the reason.

Until a burst of communication sounded from his helmet, another Deathwatch sent a flood of data.

"This is the data I retrieved from the local Command Center; I didn't expect this mortal unit to..."

He wanted to compliment, but held it back; after all, not long ago he had been on the barge mocking mortal weakness and looking down on Xisi sent by the locals.

Now he immediately switches to praising, but still finds it hard to voice.

Daiweiluo, looking at the local Military Affairs Department's compiled records before him, feels his confusion gradually replaced by astonishment.

Perhaps fearing Daiweiluo would think the Command Center was uncooperative, they casually gave a unit to placate them.

The Command Center sent unusually detailed records of Xisi's combat achievements.

They even added a great deal of flattering language to the facts.

Through this information, Xisi had almost become the Alert Star's most outstanding mortal legion.

Daiweiluo ignored the praise, focusing only on the factual achievements.

"Pressing through our own artillery, breaking the defense line, slashing through Nest City rebel forces, storming Tower Top, a lone force crossing the Green Skin desert..."

Daiweiluo silently recites the achievements in his mind, then his puzzlement about the Green Skin finally finds an answer.

The nearby Green Skin seemed genuinely afraid of Xisi, or rather, the Green Skin actually admitted...

Xisi is enough Waaagh!

Faced with this fact, Daiweiluo almost couldn't help but turn his gaze back to Xisi at the very front of the formation.

He also recalled in his mind the scene of Xisi meeting them.

The Green Skin corpse mound underfoot was indeed shocking, but even more shocking to Daiweiluo was that, along Xisi's path, nearly every battle left his enemies piled into corpse mounds at his own feet.

Thinking again about how the 101 Regiment had endured massive casualties all the way and fought through to the present, Daiweiluo finally realized what it meant for Xisi and his 101 Regiment to have come all the way from cannon fodder to where they are now.

Although the Command Center's praise seemed intended to whitewash suspicion, seeing these achievements Daiweiluo could not help but nod silently.

Because not only is it Alert Star, but at least in Daiweiluo's career he had never seen such solid currency as Xisi and the 101 Regiment.

In the three communicators there was silence; after an unknown period, a Gold Nail Deathwatch that had gradually reacted to the battle results finally let out a soft breath in the communicator.

"These mortals have no shame in their courage."