Darkstone Code-Chapter 999 - 997: Birthday Celebration

Humans are very generous.

Especially when they are being generous with others’ resources, they act as if they themselves are generous people.

Society is caught in a debate due to Lynch’s remarks. Some believe there’s no need to pay attention to something happening in a foreign country, nor to show compassion for those foreigners.

But more people are very concerned about what is happening in Mariluo.

Apart from the fact that being generous with others’ resources can reflect one’s own virtues like benevolence and compassion, another reason is that this matter is happening in a neighboring country.

It’s too close to the Federation, and Lynch’s phrase "neighbor of hell" makes people in the Federation uneasy.

Under the conservative policies of the past few years, people’s weariness and fear of war have reached a peak. Even though the Federation has solved many problems and gained a high international status, there are still moments of worry.

No one wants their neighbor to come from hell. If what Darkstone Security is doing today can change the situation in Mariluo, why not support them?

After all, it doesn’t require people to pay anything; they just need to cheer them on.

This perspective has become dominant in society, with no one raising objections to Darkstone Security’s actions. Some extreme citizens even petition for the Federation Government to send troops.

They believe "this is a problem that a national government should proactively solve, not a responsibility to be borne by an enterprise. Such governance is disappointing," the President took an unexpected hit.

With public support as a foundation, there’s no need to worry too much about what comes next.

On the next morning, the colonel stood in the command vehicle with a slightly complex expression, but today, he was no longer the main character.

Last night, he wanted to take people and strike under the cover of darkness to prove his point was right, but ultimately he gave up the idea.

Firstly, he was relieved of his duties as commander and couldn’t command those soldiers.

Secondly, after midnight he got up and looked at the distant city, a city without water or electricity seemed like a monster that could wake up at any moment, curled on the ground.

He felt some fear in his heart, and with that fear, the matter ended there.

At this time, the troops that had reorganized started entering the city again, but this time the number was less than yesterday, only eight hundred people.

Aside from taking care of the wounded, others were also responsible for controlling the situation within the city.

Today’s expedition was different from yesterday’s. Two loudspeakers were placed on the trucks used for transportation, inside were some soldiers, vigorously shaking the rods.

Some previously recorded sounds from last night played from the loudspeakers—

"We will encircle and suppress the anti-government warlord organization. To avoid accidental injury, please stay off the streets."

"Anyone appearing on the streets, with open doors or windows, will be considered an enemy by us."

"Any entity recognized as an enemy by us will be directly attacked!"

...

This message repeated continuously. Once the first batches of the main forces had passed, the soldiers behind began to maintain order in the area.

"Go back inside..."

By the roadside, two males who appeared to be in their twenties were watching the marching soldiers. They seemed like brothers, looking somewhat similar.

Of course, to the people of the Federation, the Mariluo people looked quite similar, either with gray eyes or blue eyes. As for more detailed facial features, they couldn’t see clearly.

The two seemed not to hear what the soldier was saying, nor did they return inside the house. They stood under the eaves, leaning against the wall, with about five or six meters between them.

The soldier raised his weapon, pulled the bolt, and shouted again loudly: "Go back inside your house, close the doors and windows, immediately!"

The two still did not move, they even exchanged a glance, and just then, gunfire erupted.

A veteran pulled the trigger without hesitation, and with two bangs, the two fell to the ground.

Perhaps the gunfire triggered some soldiers’ tense and sensitive nerves, and gunshots were heard everywhere for a while.

The command vehicle suddenly became busy; they thought yesterday’s incident was happening again, but soon they realized it wasn’t.

"They shot some individuals who possibly were civilians..." the Major sitting in the command vehicle seemed somewhat guilty, or perhaps other feelings of regret.

Because he was the one who ordered people to execute; if indeed civilians were harmed, he would certainly be responsible.

This military operation actually exposed many issues that the Federation Army had not previously shown, such as psychological quality issues, adaptability, and so on.

These issues hadn’t been revealed previously, and if so many events hadn’t happened, someone in the army might still think the Federation Army is the best in the world!

Who could have thought, just two gunshots, and many new recruits couldn’t hold it together, directly shooting down those they believed to be the enemy right in front of them.

Indeed, yesterday really scared them, so many were killed and wounded, but this shouldn’t be the psychological quality of a true soldier.

The Federation Army’s training for soldiers is limited to physical exercises, neglecting the aspect that apart from a strong physique, soldiers also need strong psychological endurance.

For a moment, gunfire continuously rang out along the entire advancement route, and many who didn’t want to cooperate fell into pools of blood.

They might not be enemies, perhaps just ordinary people unwilling to obey the Federation people, but their actions were dangerous, making it hard to tell if they were enemies or ordinary people.

From the lessons learned through death by these people, a large number of locals hid back in their homes, and for the moment, no one could be seen on the street anymore—except for the dead.

The locals all returned to their rooms to hide, which suggests they are actually afraid of dying, or perhaps not everyone is that extreme, not all are enemies.

The colonel beside him seemed quite open-minded, "Those were all dangerous elements, I trust our soldiers, each killing had its necessary reason for happening."

The Major glanced at the colonel, perhaps this is why he could only be a Major, and the other is a colonel.

He picked up the walkie-talkie, "Continue advancing, there were no attacks behind us, we cleared some suspicious dangerous elements."

The sporadic sound of firing made people less tense, the sense of dominion from killing comrades made the rookies calm down a bit, and they began to occupy some high points, establishing an attack system.

When necessary, they could cover areas within three to five hundred meters, ready to strike or support any visible targets within this range at any time.

The streets were filled with patrolling Darkstone Security field operatives, and on nearby clock towers or some taller buildings, they also had gunmen positioned, making the streets very quiet.

Just then, suddenly a window of a house creaked open, and at the same time, three dark gun muzzles aimed at that window.

A soldier shouted loudly, "Close the window, immediately..."

A few seconds later, someone fired, it was a person from Darkstone Security, they didn’t give the person inside the window more time, and pulled the trigger.

A hail of bullets directly penetrated the partially decayed wood into the body of the person hiding behind it, and to avoid any remaining threats inside, a soldier even threw a grenade inside.

With a loud bang, the entire house turned into ruins, and the people inside were as dead as they could be.

Two people holding guns approached the ruins, seeing someone who might not have died completely among the rubble, they raised their gun muzzle, granting him relief.

Soon people redirected their attention to the areas they needed to attend to, as for whether the people inside the house were enemies, how many people, how many died, they didn’t care, nor were they willing to care.

Engagement began half an hour later at the front, with sporadic gunfire at the back.

After the Federation people showed a willingness to pull the trigger as long as they dared to "jump out," these people suddenly became much more obedient.

Without support from behind, this assault battle is fought in a somewhat "textbook-like" manner.

Each person even knew how to fight, because they had trained for it, knowing how to solve problems in various situations.

This is actually a significant issue for the Federation Army, being too formulaic, and once they encounter an unexperienced situation, they become chaotic.

The whole battle lasted for over four hours, exceeding everyone’s expectations, and the battle claimed twenty-four lives forever out of this world.

Everything that happened today was arranged to be sent back to the Federation in written and report forms, including a large number of photos, by this time both the Major and the colonel realized the gravity of some issues.

The Federation Army is weaker than people imagined!

At this moment, Lynch was preparing to celebrate his birthday.

He stood in front of the mirror, very satisfied with what he saw.

Not everyone’s twenty-fourth birthday can be as splendid as his is now.

This time many people were going to come, though he actually intended for it not to be a big deal, just a birthday.

But sometimes, on some issues, the person involved can’t make the decision.

Some people want to chat with Lynch, some want to get to know Lynch, and some want to connect with the guests who might be attending the birthday party today...

Too many people, too many complex desires and purposes, forcing him to take this matter seriously.

"You look very handsome!" Penny sat on a chair to the side, looking at Lynch, "Is this outfit newly tailored? It wasn’t in your wardrobe the last time I came!"

She said this, glancing sideways at Nelly, who was sitting not far away, with a contemptuous smile that said, "I am much more important than you."

Lynch rolled his eyes, damn it, two people here!