Chapter 149 Combined Army

Mr. Iron's banquets never failed to disappoint, and the Cloud Firmament Hotel was no exception. Glasses clinked amidst a lively din of overlapping voices. Among them, Earth Tuber and Day's End bellowed the loudest, their favorite word being "Drink!" and their favorite phrase, "Drink yourself to death, you son of a bitch."

The beauties all appeared quite refined, and the bosses of several corporations chatted and laughed with quick-witted banter. In reality, this was a farewell gathering.

Holding his wine glass, Wuhua stood alone on the balcony outside the restaurant, gazing at the panoramic night view of the entire city. This virtual world was truly mesmerizing. This mission was yet another immense test for him; truly, great wealth is sought in times of mortal peril.

Night Fragrance walked up behind him. "Crazy big brother."

Wuhua turned his head and asked, "Do you no longer want the energy from last time?"

Night Fragrance replied, "What use would I have for it?"

Wuhua chuckled. "I always thought I was quite generous, but it turns out you're even more generous than I am. You don't want such an expensive item?"

Night Fragrance had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, a charming flush tinging her cheeks. With a captivating smile, she said, "Why should I want it? Is it important? Compared to other things, is it really that important?"

Sensing hidden meaning in her words and catching the enigmatic, almost flirtatious gleam in her eyes as she looked at him, Wuhua hurriedly said, "Well, since you're so generous, I'll just keep it for myself."

Night Fragrance felt a sudden wave of depression. Wuhua looked at her as if she were nothing more than a block of wood. On such a romantic and beautiful night, this fellow was truly utterly devoid of romantic sentiment. "You seem rather unsociable?" she asked, trying to change the subject, as she was genuinely very interested in Wuhua.

Wuhua replied indifferently, "You seem to have an awful lot to say tonight as well."

"Can't I ask?" Night Fragrance smiled.

Wuhua smiled faintly. "Of course you can."

He did not say the next sentence, but Night Fragrance still caught its implication: *You asking is one thing; whether I choose to answer is quite another.*

***

At that moment, Azure Starry Sky walked over. "You two are in such high spirits, drinking and confiding in each other on the balcony."

Wuhua inexplicably felt a whiff of jealousy in the air. He glanced at her sideways and said, "You all have a bottomless capacity for liquor. I'm afraid of drinking, so I came over to hide. What's this? Does the esteemed Commander-in-chief not only plan tomorrow's operations but also manage today's drinking sessions?"

This was the first time Azure Starry Sky had seen Wuhua in ordinary attire at such close range, and arguably the first time she beheld his true facial features. Her Persian-cat eyes felt somewhat like a pair of scanners, making Wuhua feel quite uncomfortable. He had never seen a woman look at him with such a gaze; just who was supposed to be the woman here?

Wuhua "returned the favor" by casting a few lingering looks at her and Night Fragrance, particularly at their proud chests and alluring mesh black silk stockings.

"Not bad. Very nice indeed!" Wuhua smiled meaningfully, leaving it ambiguous whether he was praising their looks or their outfits.

Night Fragrance's face immediately flushed red, but Azure Starry Sky stood her ground with effortless poise, letting him look his fill. "I'm out. You guys keep blowing your hot air, please be early tomorrow," Wuhua waved, turned around, and strode away.

"This guy is really strange," Night Fragrance muttered, watching Wuhua's retreating figure.

"An expert's personality is naturally like this. He's quite interesting. I happen to like this kind of man," Azure Starry Sky's eyes glittered with a brilliant light.

Night Fragrance stared at Azure Starry Sky with her mouth wide open in astonishment. This big sister truly dared to think anything, and whatever she thought, she would say.

The next day, the East Sea Port basked in bright sunshine and clear skies.

It welcomed the grandest farewell ceremony in its history. Over a hundred NPC soldiers, neatly attired, formed a circle in the plaza, surrounding Lieutenant General Bog, the Governor of the Dream Star City Federal Government, who was dressed in a green service uniform.

Full of high spirits, Lieutenant General Bog shook hands one by one with the participating personnel from the three major corporations.

This was the first time Wuhua had ever shaken hands with a high-ranking NPC official of this caliber, so he could not help feeling somewhat stirred.

Of course he was stirred; in the future, there was every possibility he would have to rely on NPCs for quests and promotions.

Looking at Wuhua's sharp and capable Navy SEAL outfit, Lieutenant General Bog could not help nodding with a smile, "Keep up the good work. I hope you can bring glory back to Dream Star City and make the name of the Brilliant Federation flutter proudly across the vast oceans."

***

"Certainly, absolutely," Wuhua said excitedly, though inwardly he was thinking that granting him the rank of private first class or a piece of gear would truly constitute "glory."

On the boundless ocean, an imposing cruiser was anchored near the port. Although everyone was already quite familiar with the vessel's structure through computer blueprints, seeing it with their own eyes still evoked a deep sense of awe in everyone's heart.

The massive deck, the formidable naval guns, the colossal hull—even from afar, one could sense its overwhelming dominance.

Today, the Blue Corporation's harbor had suspended all rental operations specifically to bid farewell to the fully prepared warriors.

As the stern of the *Shark* slowly spewed out energy flames, churning up waves several meters high, countless girls in military uniforms and other players in the plaza burst into cheers, while the NPC soldiers raised their weapons high to show their respect.

To a certain extent, this also represented the strength of a city. When others asked about it, they could proudly reply that they hailed from Dream Star City.

This *Shark*-class cruiser could not yet compare to the cruisers of the real world, as real-world cruisers had long since been superseded by destroyers. Although the architecture was somewhat ancient, the *Shark* possessed many advantages, the greatest of which was its flawless propulsion system. After all, this was a virtual world, and energy crystal sources were incomparable to anything in reality. Despite its massive hull, it possessed the same mobility and flexibility on the open sea.

The overall commander of the warship was Azure Starry Sky, with Moonshadow Autumnsha serving as the captain. The weapon system was operated by Sister Fei, and under her command were five outstanding metal smiths from the Iron-Blood Family—after all, such a massive contraption could not possibly be operated by a single person. In addition, the communication system was controlled by twenty technicians from the Blue Corporation.

All warriors were assigned to ship defense duties, primarily tasked with preventing anyone from boarding at close range or monsters leaping aboard, with Vast Sky Shattering Blood serving as squad leader. All doctors were assigned to logistical support and assisting the warriors, with Lost Sunshine as their squad leader. All controllers were led by 1860, all psionics were commanded by Vast Sky Forest Child, and all gunners were commanded by Wuhua. Among them, the gunners were the most numerous, totaling 120 personnel divided into three squads: Snow Night Fairy led Squad 1, Shoot You Without Guilt led Squad 2, and Spicy Girl led Squad 3, respectively guarding the flanks and the rear deck.

The weapon configuration of the gunner battalion was already formidable to the extreme. Snow Night Fairy's squad consisted almost entirely of snipers, boasting 10 SVDs, 10 APs, and 10 SIG550s. If fully automatic and semi-automatic sniper rifles opened fire simultaneously, their firepower could hardly be considered inferior to the naval guns on the deck.

The six "Longbow" aircraft served as the most vital escort, divided into two groups of three and operated by twelve of the finest pilots from the Qimen and Blue corporations. The two squad leaders were extremely familiar to Wuhua: one was the beautiful pilot who had executed the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain mission, Dancing Angel, and the other was the little sister who had once piloted a craft in Death Canyon to go down together with the Arctic Snow Corporation, Black Mountain Sprite.

Wuhua gazed at the vast expanse of the sea and let out a long breath. Theoretically speaking, such a powerful combination as their group made them undisputed overlords of the sea, though one could not completely rule out the old saying that there is always someone better, and heaven beyond the skies.

In the main cockpit, Moonshadow Autumnsha stared fixedly at the waters ahead, picked up the intercom, and said in a deep voice, "Shut down the port-side propulsion system, turn 23 degrees to port, heading 1100, speed 48 knots, estimated arrival time 52 hours and 32 minutes."