Amidst the ruins of a decimated city, a group of approximately one hundred cadets, now embodying the role of soldiers, proceeded with extreme vigilance, their weapons at the ready.
They advanced in a semi-circle formation, with their esteemed leader, Nero Dekrauf, leading the charge at the forefront, flanked by two of his five Lieutenants, William and Ella, who commanded the left and right wings of the formation, respectively.
Anastasia, her third Lieutenant, was right behind Nero, covering his back.
In the center of this formation, a small task force of twelve dedicated soldiers followed closely behind.
"Huaaaa."
With a deliberate and elegant touch, Grace lifted each strand of her luscious, blonde hair that gracefully cascaded down to her waist while suppressing her urge to yawn again.
Her skilled hands moved with precision as she deftly tied it into a tight bun, securing each strand in place while continuing to march forward.
She cherished her hair, and it was one of the reasons why she didn't want to join the military, fearing they would force her to chop it off into a military cut.
Aside from her attachment to her hair, there were obviously other reasons why she was hesitant to enlist.
Like many kids her age, the thought of fighting on the front lines where death was a constant threat was a terrifying prospect.
Grace had begged her father to intervene and help her avoid the mandatory service, but as usual, her father ignored her pleas, leaving her with no other option but to attend the Global Academy.
Despite her reservations, Grace found solace in the fact that she had three years before graduating as a cadet of Global Academy and officially joining the military.
If she excelled during this time and graduated as one of the top-ranking cadets, she might be able to buy herself some time before being sent to the front lines. With a little luck and strategic maneuvering, she could even secure a desk job in the military.
If she manages to get a desk job in the military then she wouldn't have to fear a thing. She could even get the position of strategist or something.
However, Grace was painfully aware of her own weaknesses. She knew that making her dream a reality would prove to be a challenging task if she were to do it all by herself.
It was obvious to her that she couldn't achieve her goal alone.
She needed strength and influence. She needed pawns that she could use – people that she could sacrifice so that she could grasp her desires, even if that meant she herself had to become someone's pawn– even if she had to make a deal with the devil himself.
That's why when Kai offered her a hand, she took it in a heartbeat. She knew Kai was someone who would make a great name for himself in the military.
If she sticks with him starting now, then maybe she could secure a safe future.
But at the first step in her grand quest of gaining power and influence, she failed. She failed Kai.
A boy she had previously deemed trash not only revealed to have a higher intelligence stat than her but he also tried to threaten her into switching sides.
Switching sides?
What does that even mean?
Does she trust Lucas and become her pawn instead? Hah! He can keep dreaming about it.
Grace was certain that sticking with Kai was a better deal. After all, he was superior to Lucas in every way imaginable.
So obviously, she shut his mouth by reverse blackmailing him with the help of a trap that she had planted ahead of time.
Although she messed up by not becoming the strategist for class 1-A-1, she could still fix it.
"I can still do it," she spoke to herself.
"Hmm? Did you say anything?" a cadet who was walking right next to her asked with a worried expression on her face.
"N-Nothing," Grace immediately answered the girl walking next to her and gripping the rapier on her waist.
A few hours ago Nero approved of Amelia's plan to tackle this mock war.
He handpicked twelve individuals and created a special task force.
Grace was put into that task force along with Quinn, Elijah and some nameless extras – Two of the five Lieutenants were in it.
All the members of this task force were expected to cooperate and work together in order to successfully complete the mission.
Their orders were simple: infiltrate the shopping district, gather enough supplies, and then run like hell.
Meanwhile, the main army will engage the enemy troops in a head-on battle.
Even Grace was confused as to why Nero picked this option when Lucas' suggestion was definitely better.
However, she didn't ponder over it long as she had a role to play in this battle herself.
Class 1-C-8 has already been given access to her live location and despite her initial plan of becoming a strategist and sharing class 1-A-1's attack plan with 1-C-8 failing, she is still determined to undermine 1-A-1 and gain Kai Wiseman's favor by gradually proving her worth.
No one can stop her. Not Lucas, not Nero, and not even that bitch Amelia. She had won at the mere cost of making her class lose!
"Hehe!" her lips quivered and a short ecstatic chuckle escaped her mouth before she quickly stopped herself.
'No, I can't laugh yet! I have to hold it in!' she squealed from excitement.
"Halt!" exclaimed a deep, manly voice, jolting her out of her celebratory reverie.
She turned her gaze to the origin of the sound and saw that it was Quinn who had shouted.
She furrowed her brow and surveyed her surroundings, noticing that all the other soldiers had also come to a stop.
Up ahead, Nero had his right hand held aloft, indicating for them to cease their advance.
Consulting the maps on her smart bracelet, which had been crafted by the reconnaissance team, she confirmed that they had arrived at the entrance of the shopping district.
"We've made it!" bellowed Nero. "Be prepared for the opposition at every corner. Keep your senses sharp and stay vigilant!"
""Yes!""
Everyone replied in unison before unsheathing their weapon.
With caution, Nero and his troops started their march and entered the shopping district.
However…
"Nero…"
Even after half an hour of continuous search, they came across no enemy.
"Did they move at night?" Anastasia asked with a tint of hesitation in her voice.
"Impossible," Nero shook his head in confidence. "I had people stationed near the area to look out."
"Then why are they not here?" wrinkling her forehead with a frown, she asked.
"I don't know either," Nero admitted before barking instructions. "Everyone, break the formation and look individually! If you find any sign of the enemy, alert everyone on the open radio channel!"
Everyone nodded their heads and quickly dispersed.
†
Back at their base,
"Huaaaa."
The spacious room exhibited cracks along its walls and ceiling.
A round table, accompanied by a few chairs, occupied the center of the room, but it was evident that they had been left untouched for quite some time, as a layer of dust had accumulated over them.
At the top of the round table, a smart bracelet was set. From that smart bracelet, a map of the vicinity projected out with everyone's live location on it.
Within the chamber, before the projected map, two individuals were visible, seated amidst the forlorn surroundings.
Yes, it was Amelia and me.
"Seriously?"
Seeing me yawn out of boredom, Amelia raised an eyebrow at me, clearly judging me for whatever reason.
"What?" I shrugged.
"Can you take this more seriously?"
"I am taking this seriously."
"Right, that's why you're yawning."
"I'm bored!"
God, can she just leave me alone for a few seconds!
"Unbelievable," Amelia shook her head immediately and turned her gaze back to the holographic map.
"What?" I asked.
"You're clearly jealous that Nero picked my plan over yours," she said with a mocking smirk on her face. "And after that he made me the field strategist."
There are two types of strategists: Staff and Head.
Staff Strategists devise plans and tactics to outmaneuver the enemy while Head Strategists can take charge of the battle and bark instructions in place of the Lord Commander.
Their authority is only secondary to the Lord Commander – both of them can give out instructions that soldiers would have to follow. The only difference is that the Lord Commander fights in the field while the Head Strategist stays back in the base.
Nero picked Amelia as his head strategist and it was clear why he did that. He trusts her more than me. He can count on her to have his back.
But why was she bringing it up now? Was she trying to provoke me or something?
"Are you trying to provoke me or something?" with genuine confusion, I asked.
"Hah, dream on!" she scoffed. "And besides–"
[HQ, do you read? I'm QN2, Do you read?]
But before she could continue, a static voice came from my smart bracelet.
The smart bracelet not only serves as a storage device and an enhanced version of smartphones, but it also includes a military radio.
Each device possesses a unique closed channel code, which is required to contact another person via radio.
Alternatively, an open channel is available for communication without the need for a code, but it allows anyone in the vicinity to listen, including the enemy.
For reference, this radio transmission was coming to me through a closed channel.
"Yes, we read you, QN2. Give your status report!" I answered, bringing the smart bracelet on my wrist close to my face.
QN2 was this person's code on the battlefield. A soldier on the battlefield will not go by his name but by the codename assigned to him.
There's a whole process of how a codename is assigned, but I'll not get into that because who's interested? Certainly not me.
[We have not encountered a single enemy. We're going to the shops, gathering supplies, and coming back!]
"Okay, QN2. Make sure to blow up the whole place before coming back so the enemy can't get the leftover supplies." I instructed.
[Roger that]
And the radio transmission was cut.
"That's weird," Amelia touched her chin. "Not a single enemy? Are they letting us take the shopping district?"
"Of course not."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
As I slouched back on the chair, Amelia looked at me with confusion, hoping for me to answer.
"Think about it," I said as if I was talking to a child. "If they are not inside the shopping district, where else could they be? If they haven't attacked us yet, when could they attack?"
"What do you–"
But right as Amelia was about to ask me what did I mean, a realization hit her. Her eyes widened as she spoke:
"They have surrounded the shopping district!"
"Good," I nodded. "And when will they attack?"
"...Right about now!"
[HQ! Do you read?! We're under attack! HQ!]
