"According to reliable sources, the Black Star Empire's Star Sinking Army has joined forces with other Black Star armies and is massing in the Endless Sea. They currently have 400,000 troops deployed." Dou Mei looked calmly at Gu Ya, feeling her hands tremble slightly and her palms grow cold. It was unclear if it was fear or something else.
"400,000. If you count ground troops and auxiliary branches like engineering and medical corps, it's not a lot. I estimate around 100,000 mechs." Gu Ya looked at Dou Mei, hoping his firm words would reassure her.
Dou Mei shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. "That's 400,000 combat-class enemy aircraft. Plus countless functional aircraft, large carriers, frigates, anti-mech ships, and salvage and repair ships."
Gu Ya's scalp went numb.
Four hundred thousand Black Star combat mechs!
If they all gathered and attacked en masse, what a sight it would be.
The azure sky would be shrouded by a black iron torrent, and Xian Xia might not be able to withstand so many enemy aircraft.
Furthermore, Black Star also had countless elite commanders.
With a 10% elite ratio, that would be 40,000 elites. Roughly calculating another 1% with exceptionally high combat power, that would be 400 mechs with exceptionally high combat power.
Although Black Star Army's mechs with exceptionally high combat power were not as powerful as Xian Xia's War Gods, and many were just there to make up the numbers, they at least possessed basic combat capabilities.
Gu Ya's breathing deepened, forcing himself to remain calm. Roughly speaking, each Xian Xia War God would have to defeat 11.11 Black Star mechs with exceptionally high combat power to balance the battlefield weight.
Ordinary mech pilots would also have to face enemies several times their own numbers.
"How many mechs do all of Xian Xia's war zones have combined?" Gu Ya asked.
Dou Mei, who apparently already knew the news, was relatively calmer. "The Strategic Bureau's statistics for this year show 320,000. This is after the military expansion, and it includes countless functional mechs for engineering, medical, transport, radar, early warning, and drone reconnaissance. Roughly estimating, there are 210,000 combat-class mechs."
A cold sweat broke out on Gu Ya's body. He had never been afraid of anything before, but now, his heart was truly trembling.
"Heh heh..." Gu Ya forced a smile, gasping heavily. "Although I'm a little scared, I feel my whole body filled with blood!"
"As expected, I've encountered a hell-level difficulty instance right after graduating from the academy. I'm very satisfied!"
Dou Mei was amused by Gu Ya's confidence. She gently relaxed her grip on Gu Ya's wrist and sighed, saying with some relief, "I like you this way, never backing down. So, do you still want to go find Ye Ying?"
The moment he heard "Ye Ying," the heroism that had just surged within Gu Ya was instantly doused with cold water.
With a great war imminent and Xian Xia in crisis, it was inappropriate to talk about personal affairs.
But that was Ye Ying, whom Gu Ya thought about day and night, the woman Gu Ya swore to protect!
Her every smile and every frown was so precious; Gu Ya wished he could hold her in his palm and shield her from harm forever.
However, Xian Xia was Gu Ya's home.
If the home was destroyed, what could he say about his personal affections?
Gu Ya exhaled heavily. The faint light on the display screen reflected in his eyes, making them unusually determined. "I believe Ye Ying can complete her mission successfully, and I believe we will reunite one day."
As Gu Ya said this, his heart ached with a million refusals, but the reality was laid bare.
With the great war imminent, if Xian Xia fell, even if he found Ye Ying, what good would it do? The country would no longer be a country. How could he face the family who trusted him?
"I'm not going. I'll stay," Gu Ya said firmly.
Dou Mei held Gu Ya's hand tightly and gently comforted him. "I believe Ye Ying can return safely. Carry your longing for her and move forward bravely!"
...
The next afternoon, Gu Ya and his companions finally returned to Wuhe City.
He didn't go home but immediately went to the mech guard detachment stationed in Wuhe City.
The person who greeted Gu Ya was Sheng Feng, the first detachment captain of the Wuhe City mech guard.
Sheng Feng was tall and broad-shouldered, but his eyes were filled with wisdom. He was a man with a fierce heart that gently sniffed the roses.
"Yes, we are all very happy that you could come. Among all the mech pilots in our mech team, only you and Di Wu are at the quasi-War God level," Sheng Feng nodded at Gu Ya and said in his rough, deep voice.
It was evident that he was very pleased with Gu Ya's arrival.
This was a mech pilot who had emerged from Wuhe City, the hope and glory of all of Wuhe City.
A year ago, Gu Ya was still an unknown mech pilot from the slums.
But now, he had grown into an elite whom everyone looked up to and no one could stand against. Such terrifying growth!
Gu Ya said calmly, "Captain, please assign me a mission."
"Good, straightforward." Sheng Feng led Gu Ya to his office.
The office was not large. As Sheng Feng walked in, Gu Ya suddenly felt the room shrink even further.
The furnishings were also simple: a desk, a chair, a sofa, and a coffee table. This was all his belongings, indicating he was a frugal person, or perhaps he didn't work here often.
"The War Zone General Headquarters has ordered that you lead your own special operations team. Although you are affiliated with us, when war breaks out, you can disregard the strategy of the main army group and formulate your own combat tactics. In a word: kill the enemy, kill as many as possible," Sheng Feng said calmly.
Killing enemies was not difficult for Gu Ya. The difficult part was leading a team and formulating his own killing tactics.
Most importantly, although he was allowed to formulate his own killing tactics, he could not affect the offensive strategy of the main army group, and even had to coordinate with the main army group in combat.
To put it plainly, the combat team led by Gu Ya would become a sharp, cold blade roaming the battlefield, responsible for decapitation strikes, support, blocking enemies, flanking and encircling friendly forces, and even sneaking into the enemy's rear for surprise attacks.
Compared to pure mech combat and mech mechanics who constantly adapted their tactics on the battlefield, this mission tested Gu Ya's abilities more.
But, who else could it be but Gu Ya?
Gu Ya nodded solemnly and said, "I accept the order. Where can I find my team members?"
A trace of gratified smile appeared on Sheng Feng's determined face. He picked up the walkie-talkie and gently called out, "Let them in."
Shortly after, several people walked into the office.
Gu Ya turned around and felt disbelief.
It was Qiao Weiwei and Rui Zi, the pilots of Fengwu 1 and 2, that annoying Li Fang, and Tao Na, who had once pursued Gu Ya.
"Good heavens, all familiar faces. The higher-ups really know how to pick people," Gu Ya exclaimed.
Gu Ya knew the strength of Qiao Weiwei, Rui Zi, and Tao Na. They were indeed elite pilots, and all very young.
But Li Fang was difficult to say.
Li Fang smiled enthusiastically at Gu Ya, ran up, slung an arm around Gu Ya's shoulder, and laughed heartily. "Brother, how are you? We meet again, hahahaha!"
Tao Na, unlike her usual enthusiasm, looked at the two young men with a blank expression.
Qiao Weiwei had also shed her usual arrogant young lady demeanor. When she saw Gu Ya, she shyly turned her head away.
Only Rui Zi maintained her indifferent, otherworldly expression, her eyelids drooping, seemingly lost in thought.
Gu Ya still couldn't quite understand why there were so many women on the team.
Sheng Feng said promptly, "You have one more free slot. You can choose any mech pilot as your fifth teammate. Together, the six of you will form a special operations team named 'Soaring Eagles Third Team.' In terms of command, you will be jointly directed by Xian Xia's Supreme Strategic Bureau and the Yonggu Zhi Lan War Zone, but you will have the highest level of independent operational authority."
Gu Ya nodded and murmured, "The last spot?"
If Ye Ying were here, Gu Ya would have chosen his girlfriend without hesitation, even pushing Wang Shangmeng aside.
As it stood, it could only be a male to avoid an imbalance of gender in the team; balance was necessary.
But at the moment, Gu Ya couldn't think of anyone to use.
"Who to choose..."
Everyone looked at Gu Ya.
They knew that he would be the future commander of the team, the planner and director of all actions within the group, and the strongest individual.
Gu Ya was the backbone of the team.
Suddenly, Gu Ya thought of a boy, a boy he knew very well, who had accompanied him since he transmigrated.
"He may not be qualified. But he is the best choice right now. I believe in him, he has perseverance, and he will definitely grow into an excellent mech pilot."